Bronze box of Artist Max Le Verrier. Can anyone define the value?

[Murena]

Hi,
I am new user. I have bronze box of Artist Max Le Verrier.
L = 20, 5 cm;
W = 12, 5 cm;
H =  5, 8 cm.

On the top of the box is presented lintel of Abbey of Saint-Genis des Fontaines:

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbaye_de_Saint-G%C3%A9nis-des-Fontaines

Maybe anyone can help defining the value?

Below are the pictures of the bronze box:
 











Thank you.

[fancypants]

Welcome to the forum , Murena .

Although yours is not a "unique original" bronze box from the artist (many of these were duplicated) , it is an - forgive my current interpretation - "authentic" Max Le Verrier bronze box .

The depiction on the box of the c1019-1020 'Christ in Majesty with Apostles' lintel is the fourth one I've personally seen from this artist/foundry .

Nice item , and worth keeping around , should you wish to do so .

I've got one of his bronze boxes myself , in similar great condition , which I'd put an approx. $450 (USD) value on (cost of replacement of my box) .

[heavydude]

What is the significance/meaning of the words and letters on the lid?

[fancypants]

heavydude - good question , in relation to this item .

The letters you see on the bronze box item , from the images Murena posted , are an accurate depiction of those from/on the original lintel from where they were copied .

The stone lintel carving has the inscription that details the date of origin of said lintel .

It more or less says it was made in "The 24th year of the reign of King Robert the Pious" (which began in the year 996) .

This inscription gave scholars the ability to exactly date it to the year 1019/1020 .

The lintel itself is one of a few examples of the very early Romanesque period (in France) years 1000-1150 , that have been positively identified/dated to the period .

[Murena]

Thanks a lot.
I would like to ask, when this box could be manufactured. Of course if it possibly to define. It would be interesting to learn also the patina was formed in natural process or has been put in the chemical way?

Thank you.

[fancypants]

I'm no expert on these particular boxes , just know a little bit that I've gleaned along the way , Murena .

I'd hazard a guess that yours was produced in the 1920's-1930's , a period of high activity & popularity of the foundry . Mine is not the definitive opinion on this , however .

I have seen only one of these boxes that has been free of patina - the owner actually polished the thing to a high luster herself & it was , to my eyes anyway , much less appealing in appearance .

Yours does seem to have the patina of it's age , and I simply assume that the foundry did have a finishing method (not precisely known to me) that imparted a nice , 'classic' bronze finish to these items .
There were many methods for doing so during that period .

Current bronze artists/producers still make items with this 'classic-type' finish , as well as making them with faux-patina (as you may well know) .

Sorry I don't have enough expertise to give you the exact information you're seeking ..... perhaps other members of the forum have more info to share .

[Murena]

Wow! I have bought this box from my friends in Germany and they spoke that at them in a family it has appeared in the WWII beginning. I have not believed that the box can be such old, but now it is possible to say that it has been manufactured before WWII.

Many thanks. Your answers for me are very informative.

[KC]

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linteau_de_l%27abbaye_de_Saint-G%25C3%25A9nis-des-Fontaines&ei=HXBfS5buMMuztgft6-2ADA&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAwQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dlinteau%2Bde%2B%2BSt%2BGenis%2Bdes%2BFontaines%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DALF

[regularjoe2]

Nice translate link , KC .

Thanks , mister !

[KC]

I thought it was a great translate line as well!

[Murena]

I have found a box in the Internet (ebay) such as I have. On the picture the first (top) is my, the second (bottom) from the Internet. The second obviously is a copy. It is possible to see that an alloy of bronze another, moulding contours not accurate. Certainly I cannot assert that the first box is the original but that it is not similar to a copy too. I ask once again tell the opinion on the basis of comparison of these two boxes.
Thank you.

[regularjoe2]

Both appear to be duplicates of the original to me .

I use the term original , in the context of this bronze , to mean the actual first model of the bronze box ( a 'proof' , if you will ) , from which molds were manufactured from .
Sometimes the 'original is made from wax and is destroyed in the mold-making process .

The point I'm trying to make is that there's only one true 'original' , when it comes to that definition .
There's many definitions of 'original' , though (original 1949 Ford , etc.) .

There may have been multiple molds made (prob. so) .

I've seen a few multi-duplicated bronze items , alongside of their original (master,proof) .
Most often the original ones are hand-signed ( engraved/carved ) by the artist , and lack certain manufacturers marks (not all the time , however) .

The motif of the lintel on yours is an original stone carved lintel , but there's another stone lintel that's sort of a copy of it (if you get my meaning) .

Nice bronze box , Murena .

How much are they asking for the one on the internet ?

[Murena]

Thanks Regularjoe2, the presented information is valuable to me. 
The price on ebay is not high. You can look:

http://cgi.ebay.fr/ENORME-BOITE-EN-BRONZE-DE-MAX-LE-VERRIER_W0QQitemZ300392764322QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20100202?IMSfp=TL100202183001r12533