Winter 2016

2016 Antiques & Fine Art 165 Dome-Top Box with inset watercolor panels, ca. 1823–1824 (on cube), attributed to Emeline M. Robinson Kelley School, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. White pine, leather borders, brass- headed upholstery tacks, watercolor and ink on paper under original glass panels, 3⅞ x 7⅞ x 4⅛ in. Collection of Jane and Gerald Katcher. This is one o f five distinctive wooden boxes with inset watercolor panels that are attributed to a Portsmouth, New Hampshire, school operated by Emeline M. Robinson Kelley between about 1824 and 1833. Although two of the boxes have dome-shaped lids and the three others are flat-topped, their similar construction details suggest that all were made by the same craftsman. The watercolors portray well-dressed young men and women and naval officers in a variety of combinations with decorative floral frames and borders. This example and one of the flat-topped boxes carry the highest quality watercolor inserts and are believed to have been painted by Emeline M. Robinson Kelley herself, while the similar but less detailed watercolors on the other three were likely executed by her students. Octagonal Trinket Box, artist unidentified, New England, ca. 1820–1830. Watercolor on paper over pasteboard, 3½ x 57⁄16 x 4¾ in. Private Collection. This octagonal trinket box was made of pasteboard rather than wood. As the name suggests, pasteboard was made by pasting layers of paper together to form more substantial “boards” that could be cut and assembled into boxes. While not nearly as sturdy as wood, pasteboard boxes were inexpensive and easily made and were widely used for storage of small items in early nineteenth-century homes. The top of this box carries a watercolor painting of a classic New England church, while the other seven sides are decorated with a variety of fruit and floral motifs.