Token box for "quadrille"
Applied Arts
Inventory number
2019.10.24.10.AA.BX.C1750.FRAuthor:
Mariaval le Jeune (French, 18th century)Description
Rectangular ivory box for tokens with engraved and mother of pearl decoration of characters, garlands of flowers and numbers. Mounted in brass and painted in green. Inside the lid an engraved landscape enhanced with green in a frame bearing the signature "Mariaval le Jeune à Paris - fecit". Such type of boxes usually comes in 4 examples inside a bigger case.These game boxes were used for the card game called "quadrille". Card games in the 18th century were very fashionable among wealthy Parisian families who asked ivory craftsmen and engravers to create these luxurious boxes for tokens. The sets varied from one order to another but were often inspired by engravings popular in the intellectual circles. In this case, the decor of the lid comes from engravings, characters from the Comedia dell Arte and the interior, from Dutch engravings then very popular in the 1750s in Paris.
Materials
IvoryMother-of-pearl
Brass
Origin
circa 1750 FranceDimensions
Width : 5.5 cmLength : 7.5 cm
Height : 1.5 cm