Sculptural shell box with richly textured lid, 1960s.
A collector's curiosity, this sculptural shell box captures the tactile drama of marine life translated into metal. The hinged lid reveals a strikingly detailed relief — an abstracted, almost topographical rendering of a mollusk's interior — while the lower half gleams like a polished tidepool, smooth and undulating, as if shaped by water itself.
More than a container, it’s a small-scale art object that blurs the boundary between utility and ornament. Its dramatic folds and richly textured surface evoke the architecture of deep-sea shells — forms shaped by time, pressure, and the slow choreography of ocean currents. The box is unusually large for its typology, with proportions that suggest an experimental take on the classic shell form — somewhere between baroque opulence and organic minimalism.
Ideal as a jewellery case, serving piece or standalone accent, it speaks to a fascination with natural forms, filtered through mid-century material experimentation.
Its aquatic symbolism reflects an enduring cultural engagement with water — as a metaphor for transformation, memory, and ecological awareness — a theme that continues to flow through contemporary design and visual culture.
OBJECT SPECIFICATIONS
PRODUCT: Sea shell-shaped box
MANUFACTURED: England
PERIOD: 1950s–1980s
MATERIAL: Chromium plated metal
COLOR: Chrome / Silver, lightly gold
TEXTURE: Smooth reflective - polished, richly textured surface
CONDITION: Very good condition, minor wear / patina consistent with use and age
DIMENSIONS: (+-) Width: 17 cm; Depth: 14.5 cm; Height: 6.5 cm;