Antique British Museum Brass & Copper Parthenon Frieze Letter Box
Antique British Museum Brass & Copper Parthenon Frieze Letter Box
$350.00
With a captivating aesthetic that reaches back into antiquity, this exquisitely crafted Victorian Brass and Copper Letter Box is sure to have been a dramatic wellspring of ardent emotion and passionate dreams over the past century. Recently discovered at market in England, this weighty letter box echoes with the drama of the ages as its copper panels feature the renowned miniature classical friezes reproduced by Scottish sculptor John Henning.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries interest in classical sculpture was at its peak and many original works and copies adorned country houses and art academies throughout Britain. The famous Parthenon frieze was part of British nobleman and diplomat Lord Elgin’s controversial collection of Greek sculptures that were eventually sold to the British Museum in London. John Henning was one of the first to access Elgin's collection and was struck by the beauty of the marbles. Inspired by these classical works of art, Henning undertook an enormous 12 year project to make miniature models of both the Parthenon and Bassae friezes.
The intricate copper miniaturized frieze panels on both the lid and front of this handsome letter box are embossed with both Henning's name and the British Museum. The dramatic panels are framed with rich brass embellished with a decorative scrolling floral design. A push button on the front of the box opens the lid to reveal the three evenly divided partitions waiting to hold your favorite stationery and bespoke correspondence cards, along with hand-written mementos and treasures you hold most dear.
Dating from the early 1900s, the box most surely once contained precious whispers of long-lost love letters, family news, invitations, household correspondence, social introductions, and faded dance cards.
Bringing its lasting classical aesthetic and timeless luxury to any setting, this evocative find promises to inspire deep sentiment and heartfelt devotion for generations to come.
Strictly one-of-a-kind and subject to prior sale. In very good antique condition. 6.5"W x 4" x 4.5"H.
Learn More About Sculptor John Henning
John Henning was a Scottish self-taught sculptor, born in 1771 near Glasgow. He had already acquired a fair reputation, as author of many portraits of prominent people on gems and cameos when he arrived in London in 1811 and happened to see the Parthenon marbles which had been brought to London from Greece by British nobleman and diplomat, Lord Elgin.
The sculptures would eventually be purchased by the British Museum in 1816. Henning, like most of his contemporaries, was deeply impressed by the view of the Parthenon marbles, so much that he decided to make a complete miniaturized reproduction of them. He obtained the permission to do this work from Lord Elgin and spent the next 12 years creating his remarkable masterpiece: exacting one-twentieth-scale models of the ancient Parthenon and Bassae friezes.
