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Box or casket in shagreen*, wooden interior, from the 20th century Art Deco period.
This box is in good condition.
Note: small accident in a corner, missing net on one side, dirt, wear and scratches from time, see photos (see red arrows).
Cartilaginous fish leather (ray or shark) used for a long time in cabinetmaking, sheathing, and more recently in leather goods. Halfway between leather and mineral, shagreen is covered with silica beads, making it difficult to tan. It has different appearances: grainy and shiny, or sanded: in this case it is smooth and reveals a partitioned surface of small cells. There are 2 types of stingray: small-grained stingray and large-grained stingray. The origin of the word “shagreen” dates back, in fact, to the 18th century. It is the name of the first craftsman who, in the West, knew how to work dogfish and ray leather. Jean-Claude Galluchat (with two “l”) was a master sheathmaker of King Louis XV... or rather of the Marquise de Pompadour. This craftsman made so much reference to his time by dressing the rarest objects with this fish skin (chests, trunks, sword hilts, etc.) that the proper name became synonymous with the material. Forgotten in the 19th century, shagreen resurfaced in the decorative arts in 1920, highlighted on furniture signed by great "Art Deco" creators such as Paul Iribe, André Groult or Jules Leleu.
