104 - ALFRED DUNHILL, AN ART DECO SILVER-GILT AND ENAMEL CIGARETTE CASE

ALFRED DUNHILL, AN ART DECO SILVER-GILT AND ENAMEL CIGARETTE CASE CIRCA 1920-1927 The hinged cover decorated in Japanese taste with polychrome enamel depicting three figures in traditional dress, within a champlevé border, with vermilion cartouches of cursive script styled as calligraphy. With engine-turned borders, flush-mounted hinge and silver-gilt interior. Marked MADE ABROAD DUNHILL LONDON Import hallmarks and 925 with date letter 1927 Numbered 1887 Size/dimensions: 8.20cm long; 5.80cm wide Gross weight: 164.68g The enamel is pristine, with no hairline cracks or deep scratches, the colours vibrant and the borders intact. The engine-turning is crisp, with minor natural patina, and the interior gilding is well preserved. The hinge and thumbpiece are straight and flush, with no warping, and the case is offered in excellent condition. Alfred Dunhill opened his tobacconist’s shop on Duke Street, St James’s, in 1907, and within two decades the name had become synonymous with luxury smoking accessories: pipes, lighters, and cigarette cases in precious metals and enamel. Many of the firm’s finest enamelled cases were made for Dunhill by specialist workshops on the Continent and imported for sale in London. The decoration reflects the enthusiasm for Japanese art that ran through European design from the late nineteenth century into the Art Deco period. Here it is translated into colourful enamel: figures in traditional dress in a woodland setting. Dunhill’s own interest in Japanese craftsmanship culminated in 1930 in its celebrated partnership with the Namiki company, producing fountain pens decorated in maki-e lacquer.