Decorative ornament - Europe

Important Field Cigar Box Officer of the Royal Italian Army 1939-43 - 19x13x14 cm 680g - Ebony Wood with 3 Diagonal Badges Blue-Gold-Red - Balkan Front - Trench Art.

PREAMBOLO STORICO - The Origins of a Power Object.
Field cigar boxes were born in the trenches of the Great War. When the war became static, regimental carpenters began to build wooden boxes for officers to store cigars, tobacco, letters and orders. In the 1930s, with the regime’s aesthetics and the Novecento movement, these poor objects became symbols of status: black glossy ebony wood, substantial moldings, carved friezes. It is no longer a trench object, it is a command object.
What we present is precisely this transition: from trench object to desk-command object of a higher-ranking officer engaged in occupation theaters.

WHY THIS BOX IS IMPORTANT:
Not a civilian box. We can tell from three details that an expert collector recognizes immediately:
1. Size and Weight fit for a Senior Officer: 19 x 13 x 14 cm and 680 grams. It is almost double the size of common desk cigarette boxes (which weigh 300-400g). The heavy plinth base and massive construction indicate a stable field box, built not to tip over in a tent or on a command desk, to hold Toscani cigars and documents.
2. The Non-regulation Badge - The Regiment’s Emblem: Three original hand-painted emblems set in a frame. Technique: diagonally cut Blue Savoia / Yellow-Gold / Red.
Peritual inscription: Non-regulation regiment badge diagonally cut Blue-Gold-Red, attributable to a mixed Artillery/Infantry unit of the Royal Italian Army engaged on the Balkan front / occupation, period 1939-43.
The detail that enhances its historical importance: the emblems are deliberately mirrored. On the cover and the front we find both the version with Blue on top and the one with Red on top. This is not an error; it is the deliberate reproduction of the right and left flames of the Infantry collar. The creator was a soldier who knew the regulations.
The colors Blue-Yellow-Red are the colors of the occupation theaters of Romania, Albania, Greece and Montenegro, where from 1939 to 1943 the Regio Esercito Divisions such as Brescia, Brennero, Pinerolo and Cagliari operated.
3. Technique and Patina: Solid ebony wood with spirit black, polished with shellac with original period craquelé. Continuous carved lower frieze with ovolo/bacellature, made with gouge. Interior with a deep cavity, lid lined with original period red fabric. No industrial marks, cabinetmaker’s workshop construction.

TECHNICAL DATA:
• Type: Field cigar/cigarette/desk box for an officer’s desk
• Era: 1939-1943, Royal Italian Army, WWII Balkan Front
• Material: Ebony solid wood, brass, fabric
• Real measurements: 19 cm (L) x 13 cm (W) x 14 cm (H) (including lid)
• Real weight: 680 g
• Condition: Excellent and 100% original. Patina preserved, noble wear consistent with field use: small chips on edges, widespread craquelé of black paint, abrasions on the meeting edge. Interior with signs of use and small stains on the fabric. Never restored, never repainted. An authentic relic.
• Provenance: Private family collection, Cilento (Salerno) - safeguarded for over 70 years.
A strongly impressive display item, ideal for an Elite Militaria collection, evolved Trench Art and the history of the Royal Army in the Balkans. Objects of these dimensions with triple mirrored emblems are rare on the market.

DESCRIPTION - EN - HIGH-PERFORMANCE HISTORICAL VERSION
HISTORICAL PREAMBLE - The Origins
Field cigar boxes were born in the trenches of the Great War. When the war became static, regimental carpenters began to build boxes from scrap wood for officers, to store cigars, tobacco, letters and orders. In the 1930s, with the Novecento aesthetic, these poor objects became status symbols: glossy black ebonized wood, important moldings, carved friezes. It is no longer a trench object, it is a command desk object.
What we present is exactly this transition: from trench art to a senior officer's command desk box, from the occupation theaters.

WHY THIS BOX IS IMPORTANT:

1. Size and Weight of a Senior Officer: 19 x 13 x 14 cm for 680 grams. Almost double the size of common table cigarette boxes. The heavy plinth base indicates a stable field box, made not to tip over in a tent or on a command desk, to hold Toscano cigars and documents.
2. The Non-Regulation Badge: Three original hand-painted badges set in brass frames. Technique: diagonally parted Savoia Blue / Gold-Yellow / Red.
Expert wording: Non-regulation diagonally parted Azure-Gold-Red badge, attributable to a mixed Artillery/Infantry unit of the Royal Italian Army engaged on the Balkan / Occupation Front, period 1939-43.
The detail that increases its historical importance: the badges are intentionally mirrored. On the lid and front we find both the version with Blue on top and the one with Red on top. This reproduces the left and right collar flames of the Infantry.
The Blue-Yellow-Red colors are the colors of the occupation theaters of Romania, Albania, Greece and Montenegro.
3. Technique: Solid ebonized wood with original craquelé, continuous hand-carved ovolo frieze. Interior with deep compartment, lid lined with original period red fabric.

TECHNICAL DATA:
• Type: Officer's field cigar / cigarette / desk box • Period: 1939-1943, Royal Italian Army, WWII - Balkan Front • Material: Ebonized solid wood, brass, fabric • Real Measurements: 19 cm (L) x 13 cm (W) x 14 cm (H) • Real Weight: 680 g • Condition: Excellent and 100% original. Preserved patina, noble wear consistent with field use. Never restored, never repainted. • Provenance: Private family collection, Cilento, Italy.
A highly displayable item, ideal for Elite Militaria collection, evolved Trench Art and the history of the Royal Army in the Balkans. Objects with these dimensions and triple mirrored badges are rare on the market.