Antique Wood Document Box

Does anyone have any information like a name or approximate age or any information about this document box? It is from England.

https://imgur.com/a/GL4YgIb

 

@Shangas @808 raver

 

More photos here ...
eBay item number 196980369423

 

Looks pretty generic. I don't see any indications that there's anything that would help give us more information about it. I question the age of it, but that's about it.

Usually boxes like these would have a writing surface on them, and if it has a writing surface, it was almost always lined with leather, which I don't see here...

 

Thanks! I usually have seen them with a writing surface too, but wasn’t sure if there is a different name for that type or if it’s just a possibility the writing surface is missing.

 

I would say India, 1940's or later, it isn't great at all especially when you consider India has produced some of the finest antique writing slopes ever made.

 

Oh BTW it isn't worth £10 let alone £68

 

The use of such thick wood reminds me of Indonesian repros from the 1990s.

 

That's what I mean. It looks too "chunky". I know antique writing slopes - I collected them for years - I even fixed them from time to time.

A real one from the 1800s wouldn't be this heavyset. Remember, these things were meant to be CARRIED everywhere - so they were deliberately made to be as light as possible...I don't see that here, which is what makes me think it's not that old.

 

Thanks for the information! Is there a way to tell which writing slopes are better made? Are the ones with the secret compartments under the pen storage area better? I have also seen the ones where you pull out a nail and a side drawer pulls out. Also, are the ones with the brass typically better? Any input is appreciated.

 

I don't think there is any hard and fast rule when buying writing slopes, I have only 3 writing slopes in my box collection and my focus is on outside decoration, all 3 are made of solid ebony and all 3 are carved, one is only a ribbed design (I bought this one only to take the lock off it for a restoration but later I found another lock so I reunited it with it's original lock later) the other 2 are heavily carved.

 

Those are beautiful! I have never seen any like them.

 

The thing about writing slopes is that they lasted a long time, the better part of 300 years, from about 1600-ish, up to around the early 1900s.

A lot of writing slopes had secret compartments, some better hidden than others.

Brass fittings on writing slopes were added for both practical, and decorative reasons. Practical in the sense that they reinforced the wood, and strengthened weak spots (corners, etc), and didn't rust, and decorative in the sense that they added flair and panache.

Some writing slopes were very, very basic. Others were incredibly elaborate. And they came in a whole range of configurations. If I said that there were half a dozen styles of writing slopes, I'm sure someone could easily find six more styles that I hadn't thought of.