Box - Erhard & Sons - Bronze - Relief of Cherubs





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Bronze antique jewelry box by Erhard & Söhne from Germany, in Napoleón III style with cherub relief; dimensions 16 cm wide, 11 cm deep, 5 cm high; condition acceptable, heavily used with possible minor missing parts.
Description from the seller
It is an ancient bronze jewelry box that concentrates all its beauty in the richness of the relief, where cherubs and vegetal motifs interlace with that almost textile delicacy that characterizes the best Central European pieces from the early twentieth century. The surface is worked with fine, repetitive chiseling, almost musical: leaves unfolding, scrolls curling, small winged faces emerging from the ornamentation as symbolic guardians of its contents. The metal, with its warm patina and slightly darkened hue, reveals the passage of time without losing the deep sheen of well-preserved bronze.
The structure, compact and well-proportioned, fully embodies the style of Erhard & Söhne, one of the German workshops most renowned in the 1920s for the production of boxes, jewelry cases, and decorative metal objects in repoussé. The symmetry of the motifs, the precision of the relief, and the quality of the molding clearly point to that manufacturer: pieces designed to be elegant, functional, and ornamental at the same time.
On the front, the lock shows wear and play, an evident sign that it needs restoration, just as the hinge, whose movement seems to have stiffened with the years. These are simple interventions for a restorer specialized in metal, and they would restore the jewelry box to full functionality without altering its historical character.
Taken together, it is a piece that combines craftsmanship, symbolism, and interwar German design, perfect for a collector of worked metal or for anyone seeking a decorative object with presence, history, and an exceptional relief.
Certified shipping and good packaging.
Seller's Story
It is an ancient bronze jewelry box that concentrates all its beauty in the richness of the relief, where cherubs and vegetal motifs interlace with that almost textile delicacy that characterizes the best Central European pieces from the early twentieth century. The surface is worked with fine, repetitive chiseling, almost musical: leaves unfolding, scrolls curling, small winged faces emerging from the ornamentation as symbolic guardians of its contents. The metal, with its warm patina and slightly darkened hue, reveals the passage of time without losing the deep sheen of well-preserved bronze.
The structure, compact and well-proportioned, fully embodies the style of Erhard & Söhne, one of the German workshops most renowned in the 1920s for the production of boxes, jewelry cases, and decorative metal objects in repoussé. The symmetry of the motifs, the precision of the relief, and the quality of the molding clearly point to that manufacturer: pieces designed to be elegant, functional, and ornamental at the same time.
On the front, the lock shows wear and play, an evident sign that it needs restoration, just as the hinge, whose movement seems to have stiffened with the years. These are simple interventions for a restorer specialized in metal, and they would restore the jewelry box to full functionality without altering its historical character.
Taken together, it is a piece that combines craftsmanship, symbolism, and interwar German design, perfect for a collector of worked metal or for anyone seeking a decorative object with presence, history, and an exceptional relief.
Certified shipping and good packaging.

