Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Writing Case or Portfolio
(18th and 19th Centuries )
The covers of this writing case or portfolio are overlaid with what is likely celluloid, an early plastic, patterned and colored in imitation of tortoise shell, which, in turn, has been inlaid with brass. The combination tortoise shell inlaid with metal is often called Boulle work (also known as "buhl work"), after the French master cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732), who perfected the technique in Paris at the end of the 17th century. This case is lined and hinged with purple leather and the initials "C.S." are engraved on the brass on one side. These intials may be those of the original owner of this portfolio, likely an ancestor of Herbert O. Sauer, who was born in Germany, and was the husband of the portfolio's donor.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Collection of Alma Elizabeth (Walter) Sauer (Mrs. Herbert O. Sauer, 1883-1974), Baltimore, by March 1963 [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; given to the Walters Art Museum, 1963.
Geographies
Germany (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 12 1/16 × W: 9 1/16 × D: 1 3/16 in. (30.7 × 23 × 3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Herbert O. Sauer
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
67.650