Casket, embroidered casket & mirror

Embroidered casket with a mirror inside the lid and drawers.

Catalogue detail: wooden casket covered on outside with linen embroidered with polychrome floss silks in laid work and some satin and stem stitches. Inside lined pink silk taffeta and silk plush and pale mauve paper decorated with small motifs stamped in silver. Edges of casket bound with silver braid woven with two lines of black silk; narrower silver braid trims drawers and other internal fittings. Deep stepped lid that opens in two sections; shallow upper lid fitted with mirror and opens to reveal deep (5.5 cm) compartment fitted with two glass bottles with silver lids, square silvered pewter containers for sand and ink, compartment for pens (with hidden compartment below) and slit for paper; pincushion lifts out to reveal secret drawer. Central well perhaps held trinkets. Compartment takes up most of the depth of second lid which lifts to reveal shallow tray, perhaps for jewellery. Lower section of casket (13.8 cm deep) fitted with two horizontal rows of drawers and, above them, blank panel containing keyhole. When deep lid is raised, blank panel can be slid out to reveal third row of drawers. Top two rows contain three drawers each, with secret drawer behind two of them; lowest row consists of single large drawer. Drawers covered by pair of doors. Casket stands on four wooden ball feet, probably originally covered with gesso and gilding. Decoration: sides of two lids divided by vertical lines into compartments each containing upright floral sprig or animal, including lion, leopard, stag, camel and rabbit. Top, sides and doors decorated with scenes from story of Esther and King Ahasureus. Underlying drawing (which is more detailed than embroidery) visible in places where embroidery silk is missing. Size, shape and construction details of casket conform to those of several other caskets including Hannah Smith's casket in Whitworth Gallery, Manchester and 1961.502 at Royal National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.