Etui
Category
Objets de vertu
Date
c. 1775
Materials
enamel, gold
Measurements
83 mm (H)37 mm (W)20 mm (D)
Place of origin
Bilston
Order this imageCollection
Polesden Lacey, Surrey
NT 1247144
Summary
Needle case, c.1775, Bilston, Staffordshire. Enamel with gold mount, painted with pastoral scenes and flowers,
Full description
A Bilston enamel etui, painted with pastoral scenes and flowers on green ground. c.1775. An ‘etui’, is a small case fitted with miniature implements for sewing or writing. The container opens at the top on a gilt hinge and would have enclosed small needles. It is very finely decorated with pastoral scenes created by Bilston ceramics, Staffordshire. Bilston was a centre for highly coveted enamelled ceramics during the second half of the eighteenth century. The company was known for crafting unusual or small shapes which were finely painted.
Provenance
The bequest of Margaret (Anderson) McEwan, The Hon. Mrs Ronald - later Dame Margaret - Henry Fulke Greville, DBE (1863-1942) from probate records linked with the donation of the property to the National Trust in 1943. This item found on the record for Polesden Lacey miniatures and small objects in the strong room, page 116.
