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A Magnificent Fern Box by Anton…

Sale Title: The New Zealand Sale, Day 2
Auction House: Dunbar Sloane Ltd.
Auction Location: Auckland
Date: 18/11/2008
Lot No.   ***
Description: A Magnificent Fern Box by Anton Seuffert (1815-1887). This Anton Seuffert fern box is one of only seven known examples of this genre from the workshop of New Zealand's premier cabinetmaker. Fern boxes were made to store pressed native fern specimens mounted inside paper folders. The Victorian English were keen collectors of flora and fauna from the lands of the New World. From New Zealand, specimen collections were frequently purchased by returning troops or gifted to visiting dignitaries as a memento of their time in the country and would no doubt have become a novelty in any English home. Many boxes, fern albums and tables have been located in Australia and the Uk and this one was from private ownership in London. The inlaid letter 'Ss' would indicate construction on order for the purchaser, or as a presentation piece. The box is in remarkably good condition, retaining good colour definition, without substrate timber twisting or shrinkage frequently seen on pieces of this age. The addition of a post 1869 royal appointment label completes a piece that represents the Seuffert craft at its best. (Information supplied by Brian Peet). Length 48 cm.H.14 cm.D.35 cm
Estimate: ***
Price: ***
Category: Small Wooden Items — Boxes - Writing, Sewing, etc.
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