Antique Dressing Case in Calamander with Silver-Gilt / Gold Fittings by Asprey

Manufactured and retailed by Asprey in 1859, this antique dressing case is veneered in Calamander wood with cross-banded Calamander borders, brass edging, brass recessed side handles and a central monogram bearing the initials ‘M.I.W’.

The interior, lined in dark blue leather, moiré silk and velvet, contains twelve ‘hobnail’ cut-glass vanity bottles and jars with silver-gilt, ‘bright cut’ engraved lids. Solid gold discs inset onto the lids are engraved with the matching initialed monogram. Each of the silver fittings bears the maker’s mark of Abraham Brownett and John Rose, and is hallmarked London 1859. The larger lids also have the stamp of ‘Asprey - 166 Bond Street’. An embossed leather panel on the inside of the lid displays the gold-tooled maker's mark reading ‘ASPREY. MANUFACTURER TO HER MAJESTY. 166 BOND ST W.’

Fitted within the top vanity jar tray is a smaller removable vanity tool tray containing a mother-of-pearl ink pen, a nail file and cuticle scraper, two pairs of steel scissors, a mother-of-pearl button hook, a silver-gilt pencil, a penknife with a mother-of-pearl handle, a bodkin/ribbon threader, a two-part corkscrew, and a pair of tweezers with ear wax scraper.

Beneath these trays sit two further leather-bound trays, the lower being lined with velvet. Once both trays are removed, two small concealed pull-out drawers become accessible.

A free-standing leather-bound mirror and matching removable leather-bound document case are fitted to the underside of the lid.

The lock plate is stamped with ‘Bramah - 124 Piccadilly’, and comes with its original Bramah key.

Ref: DL093