Notes for an interview with
Nick
Girdler on BBC Radio Solent
Online
History of Writing Boxes and Slopes
Antique
Boxes, Tea Caddies, and Society -- 1700--1880, ISBN:
0764316885 Antigone Clarke & Joseph O'Kelly,
A Schiffer Book for collectors..
Writing Boxes and
slopes
Writing boxes were originally
referred to as desks, as they were the only form of furniture
for holding writing requisites and for writing on.
Before the 18th century they
were mostly made of oak and decorated with carved designs. Their
usage incorporated a religious element, as religion and
education were perceived to be inextricably linked.
Dr Johnson tells us that the poet
Alexander Pope
(1688-1744) "...punctually required that his writing box
should be set upon his bed before he rose".
Alexander Pope's box was
probably a simple sloping box in which the current papers could
be kept. The sloping writing surface was seen as very important
for writing and keeping personal papers. All the images of
scribes show them using such a surface.
Please click on the images for a
larger version.
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A large japanned writing slope with a
side drawer, designed to be used on a table. The top
of the box is not hinged and is simply removed to the
side when the inner writing surface is in use. The
chinoiserie decoration consists of raised and painted
figures in a landscape, and was executed in the manner
practiced during the 18th century. As japanning was a
style favored by ladies who at first did not use
writing boxes to the same extent as men, it is unusual
to find such a piece, especially in a large
size.16.4" wide. Mid 18th century.
In
his Epistle To A Lady, Alexander Pope
writes:
“She,
while her lover pants upon her breast,
Can
mark the figures on an Indian chest…”
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Stalker and
Parker: Treatise of Japanning and Varnishing
1688
was the first time that a really comprehensive and well
distributed publication on chinoiserie appeared. This
was to influence chinoiserie for the next hundred and
fifty years. The Stalker and Parker book epitomizes the
confusion which prevailed in
Europe
regarding anywhere east of the
Mediterranean Sea. The title reads: Treatise of Japanning and Varnishing.
The designs are Patterns for Japan-work in imitation of the
Indians! The advice given in the book was most probably
deduced from Chinese imported lacquer and from Dutch craftsmen
who had observed Chinese and Japanese lacquer workers. This work
is in print today and still provides inspiration for
artists.
Another
form of chinoiserie was penwork:
A penwork decorated writing slope in
chinoiserie designs. Note that the painting and
drawing is flat, relying for its effect on the
brush/pen strokes. The artist endeavored to
encapsulate the magic of Cathay in a scene of calm and
tranquility.
Please click on the
images for a larger version. |
Note the repartee between the central figures.
Their facial expressions are interpreted with a few
effective strokes. This is a departure from the 18th
century oriental designs, in that it strives for more
realism and consistency of perspective.
A piece imbued with the spirit of its time.
Original interior. 11" wide. Circa 1800.
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The Writing Box witnessed war,
business, and personal relationships. Unlike the writing desk or
table, it was a personal not a household possession.
From the last quarter of the
18th, to the end of the 19th century, the writing box featured
prominently on military expeditions, travels, libraries, and in
drawing rooms. Great literature as well as dispatches,
contracts, letters, and postcards, were written on its sloping
surface.
The Brontë sisters were said to sit around their
dining table writing on their respective writing boxes.
Portraits were painted featuring writing boxes, as a symbol of
the sitter's status, or literary achievement.
Robert Wyer, a
London
cabinet maker described his business as the "Original
Military and Naval Trunk Manufacturers", on a label found
on an early 19th century brass bound writing box. Given the
stylistic similarity of early writing boxes to military
furniture, it is very likely that the same cabinet makers were
responsible for the making of both.
There are many
variations to the basic designs, as sometimes specially
commissioned boxes took care of the client's preferences. In
1774 Chippendale billed The Right Honble Lord Irwin "To a
mahogany Traveling Strong Box with private partitions, drawer
etc. compleat £2.18s.0d."
Traveling Writing boxes were sometimes
made to hold personal grooming tools like this one for
shaving with water at a constant temperature:
Please click on the images for a
larger version.
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Detail: A mahogany writing box which opens into a
writing surface which extends to the whole depth of
the box. Unusually, the side drawer follows the
slanting line of the box and provides storage space
for writing and grooming implements. The metal shaving
containers are original and very unusual.
The round pot bears a patent number.
The patent specifies and enables the temperature at
which the water should be kept for a successful
shave!!!
A.D.1782.Nov.28. No 1345. PLAYFAIRS
specification. Judging from the patent date and the
similarity to Shearer's Fig 3 drawing, the box must
have been made in the middle 1780s.
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Traveling, mostly to
Italy
, was the second main reason which necessitated a writing box.
Tourism was an altogether more complex business than it is
now. Traveling was planned and undertaken as a very serious
passage to adult life, or as an earnest professional voyage of
discovery.
People seldom traveled
alone. There were whole entourages, moving slowly and
clumsily, loaded with luggage covering every need. On the
return journey, there was even more to carry: heavy mementoes
of the tour, including fragments of marble, stone, bronze,
shells, and whatever else the eager travelers decided to
plunder, or buy. For those who could sketch, or paint, there
were their drawings and watercolors to bring back. For others,
prints by Piranesi and other exponents of the
"Classical".
The brass corners and the strapping help to protect the
box in difficult conditions. Many boxes from this period
look as if they have seen real action and they have.
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A typical Georgian writing box in mahogany
with brass corners and side handles. The drop handles
point to an early date.
The box of a standard large size of 20.8"
in length by 9.7". Circa 1790.
The sloping surface was
available when the box was opened.
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By the last decades of the
18th century writing boxes were necessary in many non-domestic
situations. As they were necessary in activities involving
traveling, their tops became flat in order to facilitate
transportation. The sloping writing surface was
available when the box was opened.
Another form was the triple
opening box.
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A triple
opening rosewood veneered box, edged and strung
in brass. The box combines strength, elegance, and
impeccable workmanship in the Regency tradition.
The upright back gave more privacy and the little
dated pockets were a form of personal
organizer.
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The importance of the Word
and the power of those who could use it.
| In 1825, S.W. Fores of Piccadilly printed a caricature by H.
Heath titled "La
Coterie Debauché".
One of her lovers was the Duke of Wellington, the hero of
Waterloo.
The print shows the ex-lovers, including the Duke of Wellington, the hero of
Waterloo, gathering
up in a suppliant manner in front of Harriette's writing box,
which stands between herself and the men, marking the line of
battle.
Furious at Harriette's audacity, the Duke replied:
"Publish and be damned", a phrase which found its way
into the heart of the language ever since.
Please click on the images for a larger version.
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This print depicted Harriette
Wilson writing her memoirs on her open writing box. Harriette
was a courtesan of class, who numbered many members of the
aristocracy amongst her lovers.
When her best years were over, she decided to increase her
income by writing about her amours. She gave her lovers the
choice of paying her large sums of money, in order to keep her
liaison with them out of her book.
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The recently convicted Margaret MacDonald's lap top with
information of her important clients and threats to publish
is the modern day equivalent!
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| Detail: Harriet also liked a
sloping surface for delicate foot! |
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Important Documented Maker
Bayley, Blew & Chapman,
who described themselves as "dressing case makers and
Perfumers to His Majesty and HRH Duke of York," are
recorded in the accounts of George IV as having supplied in
1828, a rosewood writing desk edged with brass and a buhl
border, patent lock, and flaps covered with green velvet;
interior glass mounted with silver. £15 12s.
The price for this box is very
high indeed, at least five times what could be expected for a
normal quality box at the time and reflects the appreciation of
the intricate brass and leather work.
Please click on the images for
a larger version.
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A very high quality early Regency triple opening
writing box with brass edging and inlaid brass.
The embossed tan leather with gilt decoration
must be an inspiration to anyone who uses this box.
The box is labeled:
Bayley's of 17 Cockspur St. went on to become
Bayley, Blew & Chapman.
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Sometimes a box with a duel
purpose was made. For example a box with sewing tools has a
drawer fitted out with a writing slope.
Please click on the images for a
larger version.
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A box veneered in sadeli mosaic. Note the unbelievably fine
work. The large panels are a feat of precision and skill. They
are framed in an assortment of lines made up of different
patterns, all harmoniously combined. The lower drawer is fitted
as a writing box. An extraordinary piece of work. See Anglo
Indian chapter for more details of the work. Circa 1800.
This work box with a writing slope which dates fron the 1 in the drawer was lot 469
of the auction of the contents of Manydown Park Basingstoke
Hants in 1962: "An Indian inlaid ivory work-box with dome cover,
17in. x 11in. "
Manydown Park was the home of the Bigg
Withers.
It was at Manydown Park in 1802, that Jane Austen
received, accepted, and then rejected, a proposal of marriage
from Harris Bigg Wither.
There are further notes on Manydown Park
at. http://www.hants.gov.uk/localpages/north_east/basingstoke/wootton_st/
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Boxes with personalized decoration
were sometimes made
Please click on the images for a
larger version.
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A writing box veneered in walnut, the top veneered
with a parquetry pattern punctuated with Masonic
symbols.
Freemasonry enjoyed a period of popularity after
the Napoleonic wars and it was considered a mark of
distinction to join the fraternity of the people who
were perceived to be distinguished. 15.25" wide.
Because it is clearly a one off this box is difficult
to date accurately.
It still contains Masonic documents.
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The need for a personal
space for keeping papers and letters and the desire to have a
wonderful box to keep them continued throughout the 19th C.
Please click on the images for a
larger version.
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A box made by the firm of Betjemann's. Betjemann's
were in the forefront of innovation and quality, using
machinery and skill in an effort to achieve very
smooth finishes and stable structures. This box
epitomizes the new fashion for the neo-gothic. The
brass shapes are punched with precision to achieve a
certain depth. They are also gilded.
The inserts are panels of pietra dura. Black
slate is inlaid with marble in different colors in
delicate designs of flowers. Inside, the slope is
lined in gold embossed blue velvet which compliments
the design. The interior facings are in
coromandel.
The maker's mark is engraved on the lock plate and
the retailer's name is on a small strip of brass under
the flap. 14" wide. Last quarter 19th century.
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More information:
For more information on the
history of writing boxes and slopes go to our website
article:
Online
History of Writing Boxes and Slopes
There is also a thumbnail index
to more pictures of particular writing boxes and slopes at: Thumbnail
Index of Writing Boxes and Slopes
And of course there is our book
published by Schiffer
Books USA
There is more information
including the table of contents at:
Antique
Boxes, Tea Caddies, and Society -- 1700--1880, ISBN:
0764316885 Antigone Clarke & Joseph
O'Kelly, A Schiffer Book for collectors.
© 2003 Antigone Clarke and
Joseph O'Kelly
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