Beautiful metal and regule box of neo-gothic inspiration... Lot 290

Beautiful metal and regule box of neo-gothic inspiration signed Charles-Guillaume DIEHL (1811-1885), 19 r. Michel le Comte in Paris, of rectangular poly-lobed form, decorated with fishnet, a sowing of fleur-de-lis and half-pearls, the faces of both ends decorated with three more imposing fleur-de-lis and heads of screws. Hinged lid (traces of welding on the hinges), key opening, interior lined with purple silk velvet, resting on four tapered legs with stripes and beads (repair to one of the legs). L. : 23.5 X l. : 12 X H. : 10 cm. History : Of Germanic origin, Charles-Guillaume Diehl (1811-1885) was the son of a carpenter settled in Steinback, in the Grand Duchy of Hesse. He moved to Paris at the end of the 1830s to 3, rue de Thorigny and then to 170, rue Saint-Martin, but is not listed in the Almanach du Commerce until 1850. In 1855 his company, located at 19 rue Michel-le-Comte, specialized in cabinet making and decoration. By the 1870s, it had 600 workers and craftsmen. It is as much his boxes (kits, liquor cabinets, game boxes, glove boxes, cashmere boxes, jewelry boxes) as his furniture that established his reputation, and he won many prizes by participating in various French and international exhibitions, notably in 1855, 1869 and 1873. The ornamentation of our box is representative of the taste for the style known as "neo-Gothic" then in vogue in France since the end of the first quarter of the 19th century. This style is the result of a nostalgic feeling for the national past but dreamed, idealized, and draws its roots in the medieval Gothic architecture born in France in the 12th century. The use of the fleur-de-lis, symbol of the kings of France since Clovis, is a perfect example, even though Diehl achieved fame during the Second Empire.