1880s BRONZE FIGURAL GO-TO-BED MATCH HOLDER / MATCH SAFE FRENCH SOLDIER FIGURE

Description

Very rare and wonderful, ca1880’s Figural Bronze Countertop / Bedside Go-To-Bed Match Holder / Match Safe in the form of a late 19th century French Soldier in uniform. This fantastic Bronze Match Holder measures approx. 3 3/4” tall to the top of pom-pom on the Soldier’s shako and 1 3/4” wide across the epaulets on the shoulders of his uniform.
The dashing, young Soldier wears a frock coat, shako and haversack and the Figure is made of a very heavy, cast bronze. The Figure is hinged at the neck and opens to reveal the storage area for matches. He holds a rifle in front on him and there is a hole in the end of the barrel of the rifle.
Go-To-Bed Match Holders were used in Victorian times as a convenience to those retiring at the end of the day. A match would be taken from the interior of the Match Holder and struck on a striker to light it (in this case the striker is on the surface of the Soldier’s haversack). The match was then inserted into a hole somewhere in the Match Holder (in this case the muzzle of the Soldier’s gun) and then the person headed to bed could extinguish any candles or oil lamps in the bedroom while the burning match provided enough light for them to see their way back to bed once the room was dark. The match could be blown out once the person was snug in their bed and thus he/she could safely “Go-To-Bed”.
While we at Walnutt's Antiques do not have extensive, personal collections, one of the few things we do collect are the wonderful, Countertop Figural Cigar Lighters that are very similar in form to the Go-To-Bed Match Holder offered here. Over the years we have managed to collect a few of these Match Holders because they compliment the Figural Cigar Lighters we collect. Well yesterday was my 70th birthday and we recently decided that it was time to “thin out the herd” of our various collections and accumulations thus, this charming little Bronze Go-To-Bed Match Holder has found its way into this week’s eBay auction!!
This wonderful, Cast Bronze Go-To-Bed Match Holder is in excellent to near mint condition with no breaks, cracks, damage or repairs of any kind. The Figure features a rich and warm, age appropriate surface patina and shows no indication that it has ever bee polished in the recent past. The surface retains small remnants of cold paint highlights including gold gilt on the Soldier’s belt buckle and the hilt of his sword as well as a touch of red on the sword’s blade. There is some light wear to the striker surface although this appears to be a remnant of the original casting process. Overall this charming Figural Bronze match holder is very well preserved and displays beautifully!!
A very rare and wonderful, ca1880’s Figural Bronze Countertop / Bedside Go-To-Bed Match Holder / Match Safe in the form of a late 19th century French Soldier in uniform and a fantastic addition to any collection!
Overseas shipping is extra and cost will be quoted at bidders request. Massachusetts residents must add 6.25% sales tax.
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ATTENTION FRIENDS!!!
We are pleased to announce the start up of a second weekly auction by WALNUTTS-2.0!!!
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