Carved ivory letters in a gilded Japanese tortoiseshell box

$225.00

1 in stock

Description

Carved ivory letters in a gilded Japanese tortoiseshell box. Item 4220.There are 53 carved ivory letters in this little collection, which is only missing a W and a Z to form an alphabet and the letter C has a little bit of damage which can be seen in the photos. The letters would probably have come from a word game or a child’s educational game dating from the early nineteenth century. They are 10 mm (3/8ths of an inch) high and 2 mm thick, and are contained  in a gilt decorated Japanese tortoiseshell box which dates from around 1890. The box is 67 mm (2.75 inches) long, 54 mm (2.25 inches) wide and 17 mm (.75 inches) high. Also included is a small Oriental ivory seal.

Carved ivory letters in a gilded Japanese tortoiseshell box
Carved ivory letters in a gilded Japanese tortoiseshell box