About three years ago I found a beautiful photo of a 17th century chest holding porcelain bottles with precious oils in the archives of the Rijksmuseum. I thought it could be a beautiful miniature object so I emailed the picture to Jens Torp.
Fast forward a few years...and here is the miniature version in my house. The piece is a collaboration between three miniature artists. The box was made by Geoffrey Wonnacott, the porcelain bottles were made by Terry Curran and the silver is by Jens Torp. Not a bad threesome, right? ;-)
Isn't it beautiful? The original chest had velvet on the inside of the lid. I may still put some in my small version as well, if I can find a fabric which is suitable.
In the days of the Dutch United East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC), these type of chests were used as gifts to sweeten deals and maintain good relations with Asian rulers.
The porcelain bottles were ordered in Japan and the wooden chests were added by carpenters in Batavia (Jakarta, Indonesia). The contents of the bottles was what it was all about: rare and very expensive fragrant oils.
The box combines three things I love: wood, porcelain and silver. Another treasure in my collection!