18th Century Étuis

Last updated: Jan 5, 2024

An étui is basically a fancy case, usually somewhat cylindrical, and often metal (sometimes with enamel ornament). Sometimes they are used to hold sewing tools and/or cosmetic tools. Sometimes they are suspended from a chatelaine.

I’ve separated these out by types, to make it a bit easier to compare the evolution of similar examples and understand when and where a particular style was produced.

You can also find 18th century etuis on eBay.

English agate étuis

V&A 950:1 to 7-1882, London, c. 1710; “Agate, mounted in gold, set with an emerald and diamonds, with gold suspension chains, containing scissors, bodkin, fruit knife and combined pen and pencil”
Cleveland 2009.41, gold-mounted agate with diamonds and rubies, c. 1745-1760
Met 38.50.50, mid-18th century
Cleveland 2009.28, gold, agate, and diamonds, c. 1750
Met 38.50.51, c. 1750-1770
Met 17.190.1084 ab, c. 1760; inscribed "L'AMITIÉ TROUVE MOYEN"
Met 38.50.49 ab, gold, agate, and enamel, British, c. 1765-1775
Met 1975.1.1562, striated agate sheathed in gold cagework, London, c. 1765-1770
Kensington 23-27 July 2010, Lot 13865, “a good South Staffordshire enamel Etui, probably Bilston, circa 1770”

French gold étuis

Met 38.50.39 ab, gold, Paris, c. 1744-1745
Met 48.187.493, gold, Paris, 1762-1763
Met 48.187.492, gold, Paris, 1764-1765
Met 38.50.37 ab, gold, Paris, 1764-1765
Met 24.80.77 ab, gold, Paris, c. 1768-1774
Met 38.50.36, gold, Paris, 1771-1772
Met 48.187.496, gold, Paris, 1772-1773
Met 17.190.1082, gold and vernis martin, Paris, c. 1772-1773
Met 38.50.32 ab, varicolored gold étui, Paris, 1774
Met 38.50.34 ab, gold, Paris, 1774-1775
Met 38.50.35 ab, varicolored gold étui for sealing wax, c. 1775-1781
Met 38.50.33 ab, gold, Paris, 1777-1778
Met 38.50.47 ab, gold and enamel étui for sealing wax, Paris, 1777-1778
Met 38.50.29 ab, gold, Paris, 1781-1782
Met 38.50.31 ab, varicolored gold, Paris, 1781-1782
Met 38.50.44a,b, gold and enamel étui for sealing wax, Paris, 1783-1784
Met 38.50.45 ab, gold and enamel with a pattern of stars, Paris, 1784-1785
Met 95.14.42 ab, gold and enamel, Paris, 1785-1786
Met 38.50.46 ab, an gold and enamel étui for sealing wax, Paris, 1785-1786
Met 38.50.41 ab, gold étui for sealing wax, Paris, 1789-1790
Met 38.50.42 ab, gold, Paris, 1789-1790

Staffordshire enameled étuis

Manchester 1958.512, South Staffordshire, c. 1750-1780; “Etui of flattened oval section tapered towards the bottom with a deep hinged lid in an ornamental metal mount with a chased metal mount to the top; inside are three implements. Enamelled on metal and painted in colours with two panels containing figures on the body and three panels of sprays of flowers on the lid, all within white scroll borders on a pale turquoise ground decorated with trellis and dot pattern in white.”
Met 24.80.73, c. 1750-1800
Manchester 1958.514, South Staffordshire, c. 1760-1780; “Etui of flattened oval section tapered towards the bottom with a deep hinged lid within a tooled mount, tooled mounts also to the top and bottom; fitted inside with an ivory tablet. Enamel on metal and painted in colours with four panels of sprays of flowers in white scroll borders on a dark blue ground decorated with trellis and dot pattern, scrolls and stars in white.”
Met 24.80.71a-c, c. 1760-1800
Met 90.14.4a, b, c. 1760-1800
Met 90.14.22a, b, c. 1760-1800
Met 17.190.1057a-h, a nécessaire, c. 1760-1800
PHM A4058, Bilston, c. 1765

Other étuis

Met 91.1.922a, b, straw on papier mâché, probably French
Cheffins Jun 19, 2013, lot 388, a bloodstone etui case with gold filigree scrolling and a diamond set thumbpiece
MFA 02.201a-b, orange amber etui or needlecase with brass and copper collars, German, first half of the 18th century
Met 1977.216.51, porcelain with gold, Vienna, c. 1735
PHM A4059, finely engraved silver etui with fittings, in silver-mounted shagreen case, England, c. 1740
GUCO 1486; “Woman’s etui, or case, contains tools for daily use. They include scissors, pencil, fork, knife, corkscrew, bodkin, tweezers, ear pick, and an ivory writing board.”
Met 1974.356.652, gold with enamel miniatures, Vienna
Met 38.50.56 a-c, hard-paste porcelain, crystal, copper gilt, probably German, probably mid-18th century
Met 38.50.60 ab, hard-paste porcelain and silver, probably German, mid-18th century
Met 64.101.278 étui in the shape of a gentleman's leg, wearing a garter with the motto of the Order of the Garter (honi soit qui mal y pense), Vienna, 1750-1751
Met 38.50.55, hard-paste porcelain and silver, possibly German, c. 1750-1760
Met 38.50.52, gold and heliotrope, c. 1750-1770
Met 38.50.27 ab, gold, wood, tortoiseshell and vernis martin, France, 3rd quarter of the 18th century
Met 17.190.1083, gold and enamel, France, 3rd quarter of the 18th century
Met 38.50.21a-h, a pocket nécessaire with personal grooming tools in a shagreen case with gold fittings, France, 3rd quarter of the 18th century
Met 17.190.1076, a needle case, soft-paste porcelain and gold, Vincennes, c. 1752
PMA 1975-140-153a,b, an etui with a spyglass, Berlin, c. 1755
Met 41.160.67a-l, a pocket set of drawing instruments in a shagreen case with silver mounts, London, c. 1755-1760
Met 48.187.490, a gold étui with enamel decoration, Paris, c. 1756-1762
Met 1977.216.3a, b, porcelain and gold, Sèvres, 1757-1758
Louis Wine LD-J 96079, silver necessaire, c. 1760; “The interior is fitted with 11 original implements, including fork, 2 knives, measure ruler, scissors, ivory leaves, snuff spoon, tweezers, file, needle threader.; one compartment vacant, presumably for pencil.”
Met 38.50.58a, b, hard-paste porcelain and gold, possibly German, c. 1760-1770
Manchester 1958.513, England, c. 1760-1780; “Etui of flattened oval section tapered towards the bottom with a deep hinged lid in an elaborate metal mount with chased metal mounts to the top and bottom; inside is an ivory memorandum. Enamel on metal and painted in colours with five panels of classical landscapes within gilt scroll borders on a dark blue ground decorated with gilt floral sprays and stars.”
Cleveland 1916.325, painted wood with gold mounts, Paris, c. 1768
Cleveland 1916.324, painted wood with gilt metal mounts, France, c. 1770 (?)
Met 38.50.28 a-c, étui for sealing wax and case, varicolored gold and shagreen, Paris, 1785-1786
Christie's Sale 1126, Lot 191, Louis XVI gold-mounted tortoiseshell necessaire, c. 1789-1792
SPNEA 1931.242a-e, America, c. 1790-1810; “Silver scissor case in a t-shape with textured pattern on surface. Interior contains a pair of scissors, penknife, and a pointed tool.”