Portable scrivener's box. France, late 19th century.

Portable scrivener's box. France, late 19th century.
Carved wood.
Includes glass inkwell.
With key.
Measurements: 28 x 29 x 10 cm (closed); 37 x 46 x 29 cm (open).

Late XIXth century French table-top writing-box, made of carved wood and conceived for the office or domestic desk. It stands out for its marked architectural structure, with symmetrical front, lateral pilasters, stepped moldings and split pediment with central turned coping, resources that evoke historicist models of nineteenth-century furniture.

When opened, it displays a compartmentalized interior for writing utensils, correspondence and small documents. It retains a glass inkwell and key, elements that reinforce its practical function and its character as a reserved container. Because of its folding typology, its architectural design and the preservation of original accessories, it is a representative piece of French auxiliary furniture of the late 19th century.