Box

Boston was an active center of enamelwork during the early years of the twentieth century, and this unmarked box exemplifies the consummate skill and expressive beauty that distinguished the work of the finest Boston enamellists. Records of the Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston indicate that metalworking was particularly popular among its members. Indeed, accounts of the Society’s exhibitions and awards make clear that the use of humbler base metals, such as copper and iron, together with the revival of the medieval technique of enameling enjoyed great critical and commercial success. Although the maker of this box is currently unknown, he or she was a highly accomplished artist. Few extant examples of American Arts and Crafts enamelwork achieve greater pictorial sophistication and luminosity.