Etui à billet-doux
Applied Arts
Inventory number
2020.1.30.4ab.AA.BX.C1820.FRDescription
Small cylinder formed natural beige wood colour love letter case intirely in thuya burl wood.Etuis were small containers for personal use. They could hold small needlework accessories or scissors and tweezers for personal care. They were also used to keep love letters, so called billet doux. They were usually finely decorated and some were jewelled. This box is in thuya, an aromatic, exotic wood, traditionally exported from Morocco, Malta or South of Spain. Indigenous to the hot, dry region of southwest Morocco, Thuya burls grow underground on the roots of trees, sprouting new shoots of the main root structures. All boxes are handmade so each varies slightly from the next and will have unique characteristics inherent to natural wood. Though the external surfaces are buffed to an impressive smooth high gloss sheen, there may be naturally occurring knotholes, nicks, and other small imperfections in the wood which become a part of each piece character.
Material
Thuya woodOrigin
circa 1820 FranceDimensions
Width : 2.5 cmLength : 11 cm
Height : 2.5 cm