William and Mary Seaweed Lace Box
William and Mary Seaweed Lace Box
Popularized in the early 1700's, lace boxes became highly sought after decorative objects for storing equally valuable hand tatted lace delicates. In this modern interpretation, Jennifer DiArenzo reimagined the lid with hand engraved Seaweed Scrollwork that she illustrated, inspired from a very rare form of marquetry from the same time period. The box form itself is also a reinterpretation, being square instead of historically rectangle and using woods such as black walnut instead of veneer. The inside jewelry tray is patterned off the brass leafed lid framework, and made out of a custom walnut plywood imparting a striped appearance (Inspired by the Duomo in Siena, Italy) and guaranteeing stability and longevity. The inside lid prominently features Walnut sapwood giving an almost sunrise appearance when the lid is opened. Hinges are solid brass and open to 95 degrees, ensuring that the lid doesn't close or extent too far open. Interiors are lined in red velvet and the whole box is finished in the most classic and timeless of choices, shellac.