Vintage Japanese Export Silverplate Box Trompe L'oeil

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Delightful little box for the lover of trompe l'oeil. This is a Japanese export silverplate box in the form of a very ornate stack of three books, the top "book" further inset with a panel of hard plastic resin modelled in the "faux bois" manner to look like a piece of burlwood (not real burlwood, just a trompe l'oeil resin imitation). Finally, the resin panel is inset with a little three dimensional "flower" element, as if someone had left a little flower resting on top of the final book. This is an estate piece from a good Dallas estate, but probably not extremely old; I would date it to about the 1960s or 1970s (vintage but not antique). Marked "Japan" with impressed lettering on the bottom and otherwise unmarked. This is just trompe l'oeil, everything just made of humble materials to look like something else, but it is a superb, stylish example. SIZE: A small box, about 5" long x 3" wide x 2" tall. CONDITION REPORT: The silverplate was lacquered originally to deter polishing, but it has tarnished anyway over the years. I polished it a bit for the pics, but it is still pretty tarnished and it is difficult ot polish due to the lacquer. Can be enjoyed as it (it is handsome notwithstanding the tarnish) or sent to a silver repair shop for cleanup, but I'll leave that choice to the new ower. Also, the velvet lining is coming loose read more

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