Doosje bij draagteken, 1910 c. 1910

This little box, from 1910, is by an anonymous maker. It’s modest, but has a quiet power. The inscription, “D. A. Schmidt”, is a kind of drawing in itself, a really elegant bit of lettering, somehow both formal and a little wonky. I’m thinking about the way the gold leaf catches the light, and how it’s worn away in places. That aging gives it a soulful quality. The texture of the box is matte, which makes the gold details stand out even more. Think about the craquelure – all those tiny cracks in the surface. It reminds me of aging skin, or the surface of an old painting. It’s like the box is telling a story about its own history, about time passing. I’m reminded of the work of Forrest Bess, who also made art about boxes, and who was also interested in secrets, hidden meanings. The ambiguity of this box is what makes it so compelling. It’s a container of something, but we don’t know what.