Vintage English Enameled Trinket Box, Oliver Cromwell Portrait

A handsome enamel on copper box, this English trinket features a hand-colored portrait of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) on the lid. Made by Toye, Kenning & Spencer in Birmingham, it's firmly nestled in the satin lining in its original dark brown paperboard box along with the printed leaflet that recounts TKS history. The oval mark printed on the bottom of the enameled round box has the TKS monogram, the firm's founding date of 1685 and "Fine Birmingham Enamels." We've included a photo of their London showroom.

The inside of the lid is printed with the following information: "THE COLLEGE OF THE LADY FRANCES SIDNEY SUSSEX 1596." The College is part of Cambridge University, founded with a bequest by Frances Sidney, a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I. In the center is printed "OLIVER CROMWELL 1616-1617." Cromwell, one of the most famous of Englishmen, attended the College during those two years, so the box commemorates both Cromwell and the College.

The diminutive box, produced in the 1970's, measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter and stands about 1 inch high to the top of its slightly domed lid. The presentation box is 3 inches by 3 inches and 1 3/4 inches tall. Other than a repair to a small tear on the front right corner of the paperboard box lid, everything is in excellent condition. It's a rare find, a wonderful gift for an Anglophile friend...or for yourself.

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