IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 150669 accession number: M.38 & A-1929 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Tuesday 11 August 2015 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: Boiled, stamped and engraved leather (cuir bouilli) case. Rectangular with pull-off lid. The shallow sides each have five suspension loops. The panels on the front and back are decorated with pseudo armorials in a laurel wreath cartouche, trophies of war, masks of cherubs and either a skull and crossbones or a snail. object type: rectangular, boiled leather case; the front and back panels stamped and engraved with masks of cherubs and pseudo armorials in a laurel wreath cartouche title: instrument case LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Applied Arts creditline: Given by W.E Miller STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/150669 PEOPLE ------------------- cherub SUBJECTS ------------------- trophies of war skull snail trophies of war skull snail TECHNIQUES ---------- There is much conjecture on how 'boiled leather' or 'cuir bouilli' was made and whether the leather was boiled in water. The most popular theory is the one suggested in 'La Grande Encyclopedie (Paris 1887-1905) in which: 'pieces of leather must be boiled in wax mixed with resin and glue. Once boiled in this manner, the leather preserves, whilst it is moist, sufficient pliability to enable it to be moulded, and when it is dry it possess a hardness and rigidity nearly equal to that of wood to which it is preferable by reason of its lightness.' The stamped and engraved decoration would have been added before the leather was dried. cuir bouilli CATEGORIES ------ category: boxes DATING ------ creation date: 1550 - 1650 creation date earliest: 1550 creation date latest: 1650 culture: 16th Century, Mid-17th Century# CREATORS -------- maker: Unknown DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Height units: cm value: 3.8 dimension: Length units: cm value: 17.2 dimension: Width units: cm value: 5.7 CITATIONS -------- Leather in Life, Art and Industry Conservation of Leather and Related Materials ---