Miner's Art: Spar Box. North Pennines Area (Cumberland), England, UK. ...

Description

SPAR BOX

Miner's Art: Spar Box
North Pennines Area (Cumberland), England, UK

Working in mines in the 18th and 19th century was a pretty dangerous undertaking. Accidents with injuries and casualties were very common, and many a miner who was badly injured and could no longer work at the mine, had to look for other sources of income to feed his family. Not only in England, where this Spar Box originates, but also in Central and Eastern Europe, disabled miners resorted to making Spar Boxes; glass-fronted wooden cases with grotto-like scenes assembled from minerals typical for the region, and held together by plaster of Paris. This kind of rare folk art is highly collectible and sought after. Rock's Spar Box is adorned with Fluorite, Quartz, Calcite, Siderite, Pyrite, Aragonite, Marcasite, and Calcite from the mines in the North Pennines, along with embedded glass fragments and small mirrors. Rock purchased the Spar Box from Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd in London, England in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd was founded in 1858, and was the second longest-running gem and fossil dealership in the world. Rock's Spar Box was carefully cleaned of decades worth of dirt, grime, filth, and decaying Marcasite. Weardale Fluorites and other Cumberland minerals were added to fill in the voids, courtesy of Jesse Fisher who mined the Rogerley for years as part of UK Mining Ventures.
Overall Measurements: 15.5 x 9.0 x 15.5 inches (39.4 x 22.9 x 39.4 cm)
Weight: 16,900 grams
Offered at no reserve

Provenance: Purchased from Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd; Restoration by Mary Fong/Walker with assistance by Jesse Fisher

[Scale: 1 inch, with mark at 1 cm]

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