It’s spring in beautiful Harbor Springs and our new container has arrived. Unwrapping the “smalls”, as we call them is like Christmas morning for us. We now can spend some time appreciating these little treasures and wondering about the lives they enhanced in another era.
For example, we have just added to our “straw-work” collection (two of which are shown on the web site) with a tiny box in mint condition.
Straw marquetry, or straw-work, has been practiced in parts of the Far East and Europe for centuries. These boxes were originally produced by French and Dutch prisoners in the hulls of prison ships and in prisoner of war camps during the Napoleonic wars, between 1793 and 1815.
Considering the conditions that existed for these prisoners, these tiny treasures, rendered with such sensitivity of color and composition, celebrate the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.*
Note to existing customers: watch the mail for exciting offers...!!!
(From *Antique boxes, Tea Caddies & Society – 1700 – 1880 by A. Clarke and J. O’Kelly)
