Jewellery box - Rosewood

Old wooden jewelry box with Portuguese silver fittings - Javali mark. Elegant antique rectangular jewelry box, made of dark-toned wood, enriched with numerous ornamental fittings in Portuguese silver, bearing the contrasting mark “Javali.” The lid is richly decorated with four large corner fittings, relief-worked with roses, flowers, leaves and vegetal scrolls. At the center there is an elaborate silver applique in a stylized ornamental design, with geometric and vegetal elements. The whole is framed by a carved wooden border, giving the piece a particularly rich presentation.

The metal fittings bear punches compatible with the Portuguese contrastmark Javali, a mark used in Portugal between the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, allowing the piece to be dated roughly between 1887 and 1937. The interior is lined with red fabric, including a padded base and pleated sides, designed to hold jewelry or small personal items. The box preserves an interesting combination of worked wood, silver and textile covering, characteristic of decorative and toiletry objects produced from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

Condition: signs of use and age compatible with its age. The interior fabric shows wear, stains and small deteriorations. The inner face of the lid is scratched. One of the parts/sides of the lid-knuckle fitting is missing, so the lid sits loose and separable from the box, a situation clearly documented in the photographs. The wood and the fittings also show small marks, scratches, oxidation and surface wear from use.

Measurements: 4.5 cm (height) × 17 cm (width) × 11 cm (depth).

Materials: wood, Portuguese silver fittings and textile lining.
Contrast: Javali.
Probable period: late 19th century / early decades of the 20th century, c. 1887–1937.
Probable origin: Portugal.
Condition: reasonable for an antique, with the defects and wear described above and visible in the photographs.