English 19th Century Snuff Boxes: Lignum, Lacquered, Rosewood Inlays
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Three various snuff boxes, English 19th century, one circular engine turned lignum vitae, one inlaid black lacquered and one inlaid rosewood, 7 cm diameter,8 cm and 8.5 cm long
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- Lignum Vitae - A West Indian wood, dark greenish brown in colour with black streaks and very dense, used both as a veneers, and for small objects where durability was important, including lawn bowls, snuff boxes, turned cups and bowls and other treen objects.
- Rosewood - A dense timber that varies in shade to very light brown to almost black. When rosewood is cut and sanded the colour of the timber will turn black, and after polishing and exposure to daylight, the surface will gradually lighten over time to light brown with black streaks.
The name comes from the odour emanating from the timber when it is planed, sanded or cut.
Rosewood was very popular for use in Victorian furniture in the second half of the 19th century, and at that time most of the rosewood was imported from Brazil. However it also grows in India and Indonesia.
It is used in the sold for chairs and table legs, but for carcase furniture such as side cabinets and bookcases, and for table tops it is always used as a veneer. - Engine Turned - Engine turning is a decorative technique used on metal surfaces to create intricate curving or geometric pattern. The process involves cutting a series of lines into the surface of the metal using a rose engine or decoration lathe which rotates the metal as it cuts, allowing the operator to create a repeating pattern that covers the entire surface. The resulting surface has a shimmering, reflective quality that is often described as "engine turned." Where an engine turned item has been enamelled, the term used to describe the decoration is usually guilloche.
Engine turning was originally developed to decorate metal objects such as firearms, scientific instruments, and other metal objects that required precise and elegant design.
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