A Rare German Neoclassical ormolu-mounted burr maple casket circa 1790, attributed to David Roentgen

the stepped top above a broken frieze mounted with reeded ormolu bands fitted with rosettes on the sides and with an ormolu plaque cast with putti in the center, the sides with rectangular ormolu handles, the base fitted with a drawer at one side, the interior fitted with two compartments with parquetry-inlaid lids fitted with ormolu, ivory and ebony knobs and centered by a removable box with parquetry-inlaid sliding lid fitted with an ormolu band.

Sotheby's Monaco, June 23, 1991, lot 462

Exterior with minor scattered hairline cracks and abrasions to corners due to age. Refinished. Interior with very minor hairline age cracks to ligs, ebony and ivory. Parquetry refinished. Some glue residue between lids and inset ebony roundels. Ormolu with very minor traces of oxidation and surface dirt. In very good, restored condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Between 1755 and 1790 the Roentgen workshop produced over a hundred boxes ranging in size and form, a number of which, just as the present lot, were equipped with secret drawers. In the case of 'Teeschatulle,' or tea boxes, such secret drawers served to store the accoutrements of tea-making. Tea boxes were also often partially lined with velvet or silk and contained tightly-fitted silver, wood or brass canisters. Small caskets such as this lot and tea boxes were much prized and sought-after by Roentgen's customers. In fact, when in 1768 a lottery was held by the Roentgen's to ease their atelier's financial problems, they included twelve such boxes as prizes (Zwolf Stuck kostbare eingelegte Thee-Schatullen mit einer Schieb Lade, welche von selbst herausspringt, a St. 6 Duc), indicating that they relied on the popularity of these items and believed that these works would entice customers into purchasing tickets. While the majority of Roentgen's boxes follow the English model with their sarcophagus shape, cavetto lids and restrained use of mounts and escutcheons, this lot is a particularly sumptuous piece that fits into the North European Neoclassical stylistic idiom. For a box of this model but with differently fitted interior by the Roentgen workshop, see Achim Stiegel, Präzision und Hingabe: Möbelkunst von Abraham und David Roentgen, Berlin, 2007, pp.110-113.