DAMASCENE JEWELLERY BOX. SYRIA. 20TH C.

Description:
- Rectangular jewellery box, made of brass inlaid with copper and silver thread, forming geometric designs, and lined with wood on the inside, from the first half of the 20th century.
- On the back is a series of legends in the Eastern alphabet, set in elementary geometric figures.
- The box is made of fairly thick brass sheets or plates, except for the one at the base, which is much thinner. Its interior is made of thick wooden slats.
- All the overlapping fittings are fastened with bolts. The corners of the box are rounded, giving it the appearance of a boot.
- It is beautifully cared for, which has given it a nice patina.
- This type of work corresponds to those carried out at the beginning of the 20th century in Damascus (Syria), from where the name Damascene comes from, recovering the old Turkish styles, and following the ancestral methods of metal treatment. Similar styles were also developed in Persia and Arabia.
- Damascene is defined as a craft that consists of making figures and designs by inlaying gold and silver threads and foils into steel, copper or iron, usually with bluing.

Conservation and Damage:
- The box has a very high quality of workmanship, which has meant that it is in a very good state of preservation.
- It would require detailed cleaning, restoration and subsequent treatment of the wood.
- It has several knocks, which are more noticeable on the base, as it is thinner.
- Some of the silver inlay on one side of the box is missing.
- Part of the clasp is missing.

Comments:
- Measurements and weight are approximate.
- Very interesting as a collector's item and as a decorative element.
- The tones of the colours in the photos are not the same as the tones of the real colours.
- The object for sale is the one that corresponds to the photos. The description is not a detailed description of the object.
- The data provided here are personal opinions not contrasted.