This is the kind of piece that makes you stop mid-sentence. An Art Deco openwork silver-plated bonbonnière by John Biggins & Sons of Birmingham — stamped EPNS Made in England with the characteristic crescent maker's mark — featuring one of the most intricate pierced designs we've come across: interlocking circles, diamonds, and star motifs running all the way around the bowl, supported by four elegantly curved legs with flat pad feet and four outswept handles. It's a lot. In the best possible way.
The black glass liner is a Duralex insert — the French tempered glass brand founded in 1945 — almost certainly a later replacement for the original glass, which was common practice when insets broke. It fits perfectly and the contrast between the jet-black glass and the silver-plated frame is genuinely stunning.
Use it for bonbons, chocolates, olives, jewellery, or simply as proof that the 1930s knew how to design things properly.
Maker: John Biggins & Sons, Birmingham — EPNS Made in England
Condition: vintage, consistent with age; glass liner in good condition
WARNING: Fill this with chocolates and place it on your dining table. Your guests will forget what they came for. Maison de L'oro accepts no responsibility for any subsequent disappearance of the entire contents within the first ten minutes of arrival.
