A CHARLES II BEADWORK BOX LAST QUARTER 17TH CENTURY Worked with Venetian glass beads, a silk ground and metal thread bindings, white metal escutcheons, the hinged lid and front doors enclosing a recess and four drawers 17.5cm high, 36cm wide, 27cm deep Imported glass beads were used sparingly in English embroidery from the 1630s, this box from the last quarter of the 17th century follows the stylised symmetrical floral design seen in wood marquetry, carving and other textile design. The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, New York has a similar beaded box, Accession Number 29.23.2. See Christie's Simon Sainsbury The Creation of an English Arcadia auction, 18 June 2008, lot 189 for a similar casket. Condition Report: Some losses and repairs overall to beadwork and threads. The silk ground entirely worn away in places, some brittle fragments remain. Lacking one panel of beadwork verso. Lid detached. Later lined with pink silk. Probably lacking ball feet. Condition Report Disclaimer