Posted 11 years ago
Rogueroman
(96 items)
I have an old metal opium traveling box. It is made out of a white metal with copper edging around the base and between the top and bottom part of the box. It has a riveted and hinged lid. The front is decorated with four bat motifs and the bat body on the lower right swings right or left to reveal a lock. The interior has 5 receptacles; a lamp with wick (which is missing the glass chimney) and 4 removable covered compartments. Two of the boxes measure 1" x 1" x 1 1/4" high and have open fretwork. One has a copper inset behind the fretwork so I am guessing that is where the opium went. The waste receptacle measures 1 1/2" x 2" x 1 1/4" high. The long narrow container that fits at the back measure 4 7/8" long x 1" wide x 1 1/4" high. It has two bail wire handles on top and it measures 5" across x 3 1/2" deep x 2 1/2" high. It comes with the key. The metal shows some spotting in areas, but I have done nothing (and won't ) to clean it.
I am hoping to identify the age of this neat old piece and if it was made for the European or American market. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
I think this is actually a 'writing box' rather than an opium box. The long rectangular box is for the pens. The two smaller boxes on the left of picture 2 are for knibs and chalk dust. The dust was used to dry he wet ink. The larger boxes are for an ink well and the other is a taper to melt wax for sealing envelopes.
The form seems to imitating a two tiered drawer. The four escutcheons, one of which houses the lock entry, are a class Georgian shape that you would normally see on a chest of drawers.
I think I have seen similar pieces that are reproductions of Georgian writing boxes.
Where's Hems303?
He will know for sure.
Thank you for your response. I just found a photo of an almost identical piece at http://www.pijpenkabinet.nl/PijpenkabinetP-E%20opium.html which is the website of the Dutch Museum of pipe smoking and collecting. It has it under the Opium collection but it gives no information regarding age, country of origin etc.,
Thanks rogueoman, I found it.
http://www.pijpenkabinet.nl/Pijpenkabinet/P-E%20opium.html
I stand corrected.
I know this post is quite old however it is indeed an opium box. I hope you still have it as opium related items are increasing in popularity. Bat motifs are commonly used on opium related objects.
Greetings. Yes I still have it. I was wondering if you may have a clue as to when this item may have been made? Thanks in advance for any information you may have.
It was definitely made in China. The bat motifs signify happiness.
As you mentioned earlier, it is indeed missing the glass dome shaped chimney.
While it is most likely made for the export market, I don’t know if they specifically made different designs for the American and European markets. I suspect this was for either.
Opium vapouring amongst non-Chinese residents became popular in the US and Europe in around the late 1800’s to the around the 1930’s. The Chinese first brought opium and opium dens with them to the US during the gold rush era. Most opium dens were in Chinatown areas, often hidden away in the back of Chinese laundries and shops. This was mostly centred around San Francisco and New York in the US, though eventually the majority of the wealthy opium smokers, both Chinese and non-Chinese, shunned public opium dens in favor of smoking in the privacy of their own homes and employed assistants who knew how to prepare the opium for usage and attend to the users while they imbibed. This became popular from the late 180’s till the 1920’s. New York City's last known opium den was raided and shut down on June 28, 1957.
In Europe, most of the non-Asian users were centred in France, though the Dutch also imbibed. Victorian London's reputation as a centre of opium smoking is based on literary fiction rather than historical fact. The London press, along with popular British authors of the day, were fond of portraying London's Limehouse district as an opium-drenched pit of danger and mystery. In fact, London's Chinese population never exceeded the low hundreds, in large contrast to the tens of thousands of Chinese who settled in North American Chinatowns. In 1891, the Census recorded 582 Chinese-born residents in Britain, though this dropped to 387 in 1896.
When buying opium artefacts, many of the items coming out of China today are reproductions or fakes. A lot of the actual antiques were destroyed in mass burnings when opium became outlawed in much of Asia. The best source of real antique pieces are to be found in the US, Canada and Europe, though this has also become a big reselling point of Chinese reproduction pieces. Most good pieces turn up in attics of wealthy old homes.
Your box is the real McCoy as can be seen by its quality, style and patina. It is a quality piece and worth your time to get a valuation. This would have been made for a wealthy Westerner or wealthy Asian user. I suspect from sometime between 1880 and 1920.
I highly recommend one of the best books on the market about opium apparatus and it’s history of usage - The Art of Opium Antiques by Steve Martin. Now deceased, he was a renown collector and former Opium addict and was considered the foremost authority on the subject having lived in Asia for many years.