An English enamel and gilt-metal Patch Box, South Staffordshire, circa 1765
The enamel cover of this attractive circular patch box is painted with a spray of flowers, including a pink rose, on a white ground. The sides are painted with a spray of flowers and floral sprigs. The inside cover is fitted with a now tarnished mirror. The box would have once held small patches of paper, silk or velvet to be applied to the face in the form of a beauty spot (mouche).
Provenance: The Roger and Patricia Daniels Collection. Pat Daniels was particularly interested in early Bow porcelain. In 2007, she published The Origin and Development of Bow Porcelain, 1737-1747, Including the Participation of the Royal Society, Andrew Duché, and the American Contribution.
During the second half of the 18th century, the Midlands, especially areas around South Staffordshire and Birmingham, were centres for the production of small, metalwork items such as this patch box.
Condition: There is a small split to the edge of the cover, akin to a firing crack, and a small bruise to the edge of the base. There are one or two short, faint cracks to the interior, and some patination to the gilt metal. The mirror is much tarnished. The mounts are secure and the box opens and closes satisfactorily, although there is a minor fault with the hinge attachment. No restoration.
Dimensions: Diameter 4.5 cm; Height (to top of domed cover) 2.7 cm
English Painted Enamels, Therle and Bernard Hughes (Country Life, 1951).
English Enamel Boxes, Susan Benjamin (Macdonald Orbis, 1988).