VIPER BOX, by Alfred Daguet (French, 1875-1942), dated 1907; an iron footed box whose prominent square nail heads lining the sides and its locking mechanism make up a Medieval design aesthetic, fitted with brass panels decorated in repoussé, painted to simulate patination and inset with multi-colored glass in cabochon settings, the panels depict serpents and newts; the interior is lined with original Lincrusta wallpaper in the monkey chinoiserie pattern painted gold, black and oxblood; incised on the underside in bloc lettering: “ALFRED DAGUET/PARIS/1907”

Condition: Good; includes key

Daguet’s masterpiece in metalwork reveals a continuing fascination with Medieval art. The portable square strongbox is formidably constructed from iron, and its riveted square nail heads securing the panels evoke monastic simplicity; whereas the imaginatively striking panels are anything but laconic. Daguet has created the brass version of creatures familiarly found on the pages of illuminated bestiary manuscripts, some of the most popular texts dating from the Middle Ages. A coiled snake, ready to strike, safeguards the box’s top panel. Its open mouth baring a venomous fang provides a sentient warning reinforced by its all-seeing single moonstone eye in profile. Aesthetically stunning, there is brilliant coherence to Daguet’s design elements. Blue, green and turquoise glass beads punctuate the stylized swirls of snakeskin and echo the circularity of the snake’s pose. Viewed from a distance, these glass beads set off by the green painted circular ground glow bewitchingly luminescent.

Swirls and acute triangles are also repeating motifs in Daguet’s metier, and the stylized star shapes found throughout the panels on this box are ubiquitous iconic signatures. These stars are also attributes of the newts depicted on the box’s flanking panels. The shining spots on the backs of these lizards resemble stars and account for their medieval latin nomenclature, stellio. Like manuscripts, intended to be read and heard, to be informative and moving, Daguet drops subtle scholarly references while heightening the sensory impact to his visually striking creatures. Indeed, the snakes mirroring one another on the front panel form a distinctive S-shape. Their forms are an articulation of a snake’s hissing sound, SSSS. Reverberating this powerful effect, the two coiled snakes in mirrored profile on the box’s back panel continue to mesmerize with their burnished stylized pattern. Daguet’s timeless appeal is his brilliant ability to tap into our deepest cores and transport us to celestial heights.