Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;moreotherstuff, post: 373526, member: 56&quot;]Gold boxes are a passion of mine (pictures only, sadly).&nbsp; They were made for aristocrats and you still pretty much have to be one to afford them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Absolutely incredible workmanship.</p><p><br /></p><p>There&#039;s a story of one of the Louis presenting a gold box to a newly arrived ambassador.&nbsp; The ambassador sold it back to the original merchant and used the money to finance his embassy.&nbsp; When that embassy ended, Louis presented him again with the same box as a parting gift.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have most of the books written about them, most of the published collection catalogs, and a goodly number of the sales catalogs.&nbsp; (At least pre-2000.)&nbsp; When one catalog gives references to other published sources, odds are I&#039;ll have it.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The one catalog I don&#039;t have is the Louvre&#039;s.&nbsp; It&#039;s expensive, both the one from 1934 (Nocq and Dreyfus), and the one from 1981 (Grandjean).&nbsp; Mostly black and white photos, which is what holds me back.</p><p><br /></p><p>Strangely, in my fantasies, I don&#039;t see myself as owning them, but rather as being involved in their manufacture.</p><p><br /></p><p>I read just recently that there are more designs extant for gold boxes than for any other 18th C article. Most of them cannot be matched up to existing boxes.</p><p><br /></p><p>This picture of an 18th C lathe for producing guillocher patterns is from &quot;Gold Boxes of Europe&quot; by Kenneth Snowman (probably still the #1 picture book on the subject).</p><p>[ATTACH=full]128533[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in