International Match Safe
Association and Museum
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International Match Safe Association and Museum
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Pocket
Match Safes
Part
II: Enameled Pieces Karl P. Koenig (Editor’s
Note: This
is the second article in a series about pocket match safes or vesta cases as
they are still called in Britain (Part I ran in the
January/February 2000 issue
of Silver Magazine). The
pocket match safe, produced throughout the world since 1830, and discontinued
about one hundred years later, ranged in quality from the acme of enameled gold
and silver by workshops such as those of Karl Fabergé and Georg(e) Adam
Scheid(t) (some spell his name with an e and a t) down to the far more familiar,
mass-produced celluloid-sheathed tin cases, so cheap they were usually given
away. The
earliest match safes were not enameled.
In fact, the earliest match safes were not decorative but utilitarian
items whose construction served two essential purposes:
the safe carriage of the recently invented but explosive strike-anywhere
match and a convenient means of igniting that match with built-in friction
ribbing. Inexpensive
containers soon began to carry advertising messages. A few years later they were
being made in novel shapes to stimulate conversation or provide amusement to
companions. Match
safes were further individualized by the use of metals as silver, gold, and
platinum. Others
were made in exotic materials like ivory, tortoise shell, shagreen, mother of
pearl, or jade and were often accented with precious gems and metals. The
use of vitreous enamel coatings on match safes began to appear later in the
nineteenth century.
Vitreous or “glass-like” enamels consist of finely ground minerals,
usually including quartz, suspended in a viscous liquid that allows the enamel
to be applied to the surface with a brush.
Various metallic oxides create the colors, and other oxides are added to
make the colors opaque.
When properly heated in a kiln, these substances fuse into a hard, glassy
coating. Enameling
is ages old but translucency was only fully achieved in the nineteenth century.
The metal surface beneath the translucent Even
a casual inspection of match safes reveals that they reflected masculine tastes.
Men, after all, bought or received them as gifts and it was men who used
them more or less exclusively.
As women were slowly and reluctantly admitted to the vast tobacco
fraternity during Edwardian times, some match safes were designed to appeal to
feminine tastes. This, of course,
was already quite late in the day for match safes so only an
insignificant number of safes were influenced in this direction.
Masculine
tastes were probably broader then than conventional male tastes are now.
For example, a hundred years ago, men of means (precisely those for whom
the finer match safes were made or purchased) often collected butterflies, put
“respectable” women on a pedestal, adored pets and wild creatures alike, and
were liable to cultivate flowers.
Today it seems a bit harder for men to admit that they admire
butterflies, idealize women, or that they dote on pansies and kissable piglets.
Yet these and similar themes were often the subject of match safes made
for our male ancestors. I.
Animals. There
is no doubt that men, on both sides of 1900, were crazy about animals, wild or
domestic; whether for sport, food, admiration, collection or companionship.
This is clear from the number of figural boxes that were made by the by
the many thousands,
in hundreds of animal forms, but it is also evident from fine enameled
pieces made during the period.
Fig. 4a, 4b, & 4c Dog Themed Match Safes The safe illustrated in Figure 1 depicts a brilliantly colored butterfly or moth. It is painted in opaque enamels, set (as is typically done) into a shallow engraved outline. Nearby is a whimsical bee (Fig. 2) executed in basse-taille technique--note the translucent wings and eyes--and a painted opaque, body. Next is an exceptionally well painted grouse (Fig. 3) from the justifiably famous London silversmith, Sampson Mordan. Figures 4a, 4b, and 4c feature three dog-themed match safes, all also from Sampson Mordan bearing London hallmarks.
Fig. 5 Song Birds Fig. 6 White Horse Figure
5 portrays
a row of twelve joyously colorful song birds and, next to them, a slightly
wall-eyed white horse (Fig. 6).
In both cases the silver was fabricated and assayed as sterling in
America but it is much harder to say where they were enameled.
Indeed, much of the enamel work casually credited to English and American
silversmiths was actually subcontracted to German, French and Austrian artisans.
Fig. 7a - 7b Jack Russell Terrier Matched Set The
last example in this category is a matched pair consisting of a tiny flask
(perhaps a scent bottle) and match case featuring a Jack Russell terrier (Fig.
7a and 7b). Although
they were almost certainly painted by the same enamelist (or two from the same
workshop), the silver cases were made by two different English manufacturers. II.
The Female Men, until the time of World War I, frankly romanticized and idealized women to a far greater extent than they do today. In the world of match safes this admiration took the form of pieces ranging from the sweetly innocent to the erotic. The well-made examples shown in this grouping, except for Figure 8 don’t represent particular women, and certainly not women the owner would actually have known. Rather, each was an idealization which anonymous artists believed might please male consumers in Europe and North America.
Fig.
8 Woman
Figure
8 portrays a rather plain woman no less appealing than the more glamorous women.
This woman has a touch of life’s wear on her, and she is attractive to us
precisely because she is so real.
Fig. 9a & Fig. 9b Nude Woman A French-made match safe, (Fig. 9a and 9b) displays, front and back, a voluptuous nude woman hanging signs on a building. Ostensibly to advertise two apartments, the signs are actually double entendre. Such plays on words were popular among literate smokers. The signs read: “petite chambre à louer sur le devant” and “petite chambre [a louer] sur le derriè[re]” (“small room to rent in front” and “and small room to rent in back.”)
Fig. 10 Seductress Fig. 11 Nudes playing Skittles Figure 10 illustrates a match safe with painted enamels on a violet guilloché background. It portrays a rather wholesome seductress in the role of the nursery rhyme’s spider with an eye for a tasty fly, caught in her web. Another example of idealized women is shown in Figure 11. It is a superbly enameled portrayal of two nude women playing at the game of skittles (a precursor to bowling). This image was normally hidden beneath a cover of plain silver and viewed only at the owner’s discretion. This match safe could thus easily be used in polite company without raising eyebrows. In the right circumstances, however, the flick of a finger nail revealed the inner vision. No identifying monogram is present on the silver case so it would seem that the owner was loathe to claim ownership should the box be left behind for his hostess to find.
A
naked, yet chaste, fairy from the Jugendstil
workshop of George Scheidt (Fig. 12) seems to beg us to share her innocent
enjoyment. The
final example of female idealization is a German box enameled with a dancer
caught in mid-action and made for the English market.
This work is attributed to the workshop of Hans Christiansen (Fig. 13). III.
Nautical Themes
Fig. 14 Royal Yacht Pennant Fig. 15 Signal Flags Fig. 16 Sailboat The British have long been devoted to things reflecting their rich naval tradition. Match safe makers took advantage of this from early days. A pennant, this one with the colors of Victoria’s Royal Yacht, in basse taille, flew the Queen’s initials (Fig. 14). Shipping signals were also a pervasive theme in match safes. One suspects that many weekend sailors had such a match safe conveniently tucked into a vest pocket when they went to sea. Just in case. One example is shown in Figure 15 and happens to be American-made but the signals, of course, are international. More appealing to many smokers were portraits of vessels. Figure 16 shows an exceptionally fine enamel painting of a sailing boat (English made).
Fig. 17 Motor Boat The piece in Figure 17 is a rare rendition of an early in-board motor
boat pleasuring along with spray flying around the bow (hallmarked 1926, London,
Sampson Mordan & Co.) IV.
Self Indulgence and Sport.
Fig. 18a & 18b Gambling, Sport, Tobacco & Drink Many match safes themes reflected typical Victorian and Edwardian indulgence toward the pleasures and delights of gambling, sport, tobacco, and drink. Figure 18a and 18b shows compendiums of vices painted by the same enamelist on match safes made by silversmiths of two different nationalities; French and American (left to right). The themes include a dancer showing a good deal of leg, a magnum of champagne, cards and horse racing. Both items boldly and proudly proclaimed an interest in pastimes which in today’s world are less readily endorsed by the educated classes.
Fig. 19 Queen of Hearts Fig. 20a I'll Try Solo Fig. 20b Roulette Wheel Figure 19 illustrates the face of a Sampson Mordan figural Queen of Hearts vesta case. The obverse (not shown) is a single enameled heart. The pair of match safes in Figures 20a and 20b is further testimony to the popularity and social acceptability of gambling. The “I’ll Try Solo” on the left is an example of American champlevé enameling, each detail defined by channels filled with different hues of enamel. The item on the right is of English origin and boasts a roulette table, exceptionally and minutely detailed considering its size. The legend, Mentone 1921, refers in its Italian spelling to a once-famous casino town on the Riviera.
Fig. 21 Ticket to Monte Carlo The train ticket shown in Figure 21 also boasts its owner’s interest in
gambling (destination Monte Carlo) and is the well-known companion to the Ascot
Races ticket vesta case discussed in the first article.
Both were made by Sampson Mordan and Co., London.
Figs. 22a, 22b, & 22c Match Themed Cases Related to the indulgence in tobacco of the time are three match-themed cases in Figures 22a, 22b, and 22c. Two are mildly amusing visual puns, and all are English hallmarked. The “Cowens” piece is presumably an advertising piece for a match manufacturer (unknown to this writer).
Fig. 23a My Last Cigar Fig. 23b Old Friends The match safe in Figure 23a, featuring a lighted cigar,
carries another visual joke while, on the right in Figure 23b, is one
which consists of a well painted composition of goal net, pipe, and features a
bottle of Bass ale.
The text, “Old Friends,” sums up this effective advertising message.
The Bass brand thrives today and its ales are sold internationally.
Fig. 24 Golfing Golf,
the quintessential sport of the British Isles, is nicely captured on the match
safe by Sampson Mordan pictured in Figure 24.
Golfing pieces, so collectible, are also among those frequently
counterfeited.
Alas, match safes have become fair game for deceivers now that prices
have shot up so dramatically.
Silver figurals and enameled pieces are the items most commonly copied or
reconstructed and even the most serious collectors have been taken in.
Fig. 25 Fox Head & Hunting Horn The
last item in this grouping (Fig. 25) celebrates membership in an unnamed
hunt club represented by a fox’s head and hunting horn.
This piece employs the jeweler’s venerable device of placing foil
behind translucent enameled colors to provide a touch of reflective
brilliance.
Fig. 26 Whimsical Club Safe Many
colleges, clubs and organizations made extensive use of match safes, chiefly in
the United States and in England.
See the hunt club safe mentioned immediately above.
A whimsically mysterious club item is pictured in Figure 26.
Despite extensive inquiries no one has been able to identify the emblem.
Fig. 27 Portrait of a Young Man Fine
enameled portraits can occasionally be found on match safes.
By definition, each is unique.
Men’s portraits such as the young man in Figure 27 are rare in
comparison to women’s portraits.
He comes across as hale, confident and ready to address the future. Men
generally commissioned such personalized works and they seem to have preferred
to have women on on the whole.
The pity is that they are almost invariably unsigned.
Still, they collectively preserve a form of portraiture as persuasive as
the miniatures of earlier times and, for that matter,
paintings on canvas.
An
exceptional Japanese-made floral piece is shown in Figures 28. It is a finely
executed example of translucent enamel applied over repoussé
iris blossoms.
The reverse (not shown) boasts two tiny enameled bees done in the same
manner. The
next (Fig. 29) is a complex composition of a background in guilloché
combined with painted flowers to make a ring of daisies which has extraordinary
three dimensional qualities. This is a match safe from
George Scheidt’s Vienna workshop, as is the piece in Figure 30,
a classic example of guilloché,
its sunburst achieved in brilliant translucent yellow enamel.
Fig. 31 Guilloché Fig. 32 Dragon Fig. 33 Floral Motif An
elegant and unusual guilloché match safe with an Austrian hallmark is pictured in
Figure 31. A
cabochon sapphire serves as the opener.
Figures 32 and 33 illustrate exceptional Chinese forms of cloisonné.
The dragon example turned up many years ago in a Dundee junk shop (such
items were almost always made for the export trade and usually destined for
Britain) whereas the more abstract example has no known provenance.
Both are gilded, that is, the wires separating the enamel work
and the edges of the match safes are gilded.
The underlying metal is probably copper.
Fig. 34a & 34b Celtic Art Nouveau Match Safes Liberty
& Co. was a famous maker and enameller of silver items ranging from bowls to
clocks to match safes.
Their designs were invariably in the “Cymric” (i.e., Celtic-Art
Nouveau) style and are readily identifiable.
Two of these beautiful, yet simple, and abstractly enameled pieces are
shown in Figures 34a and 34b.
Match
safes, while doubtless treasured by their owners, were nevertheless used often
and quite roughly.
The result is that virtually all unrepaired match safes have heavy wear
patterns from being carried among coins or a watch, perhaps, and often suffer
discoloration from being struck repeatedly with
matches.
Consequently, chips, abrasions, and dulling have often been repaired by
new owners or dealers.
This is accomplished today, in the absence of skilled vitreous enamelists,
by artisans working in cold enamel (i.e. acrylic plastic).
Among collectors the questions about repair and reconstruction are it
frequently debated, much as they are by connoisseurs of furniture or paintings.
"This article was first published in Silver Magazine, July/August 2000. Reprinted with permission."
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