True Victorian Seashell Decorated Box with Heart (and Bright Pink Lining) cone established in 1870

established in 1870

4 1/2" long x 1 5/8" in diameter

though certainly an unusual one

and I think really terrific

I’d like to imagine this was once the lid of a box that held a set of beautiful bone carved letters

True Victorian Seashell Decorated Box with Heart (and Bright Pink Lining) cone established in 1870I come across a fair number of seashell decorated boxes, especially in these parts, but this one struck me as an especially lovely, succinct example, with the heart at center (once red, now nicely faded but with darker red around the perimeter, making it feel a bit like a bleeding heart) giving a certain boldness and resolve to the whole thing. Late 19th very early 20th c. and quite well done, with a narrow band of striped paper around the perimeter