French Art Deco Silver, Silver-Gilt and Enamel Calling Card Case, 1920's-1940. Black lacquer cover and base, the cover revealing the initials "AEM" inlaid in silver on a blue enamel field, siver-gilt interior, boar's head guarantee marks and maker's marks inside cover and box.
2.96 troy oz. total weight

H: 3.125 in., W: 2.125 in., D: 0.375 in.

Provenance: Roman Bronze Works Foundry Cache: Philip J. Schiavo, owner of the Roman Bronze Works, Queens, New York; directly to Patrick Roberts, founder of the American Museum of Industry and Technology, New Preston, Connecticut; directly through Mr. Roberts’ Probate Estate to the present owner.

Riccardo Bertelli, a native of Genoa, Italy, established The Roman Bronze Works in 1897. It was the first American foundry to specialize in the lost-wax casting method, grew to become the country’s preeminent art foundry, and had been casting bronzes since its founding in 1897. At the end of his life and when the Roman Bronze Works was closing, Mr. Philip J. Schiavo (1917-1965) donated hundreds of models and castings from the storage and restoration rooms to the American Museum of Industry and Technology for their preservation and care.

Patrick Roberts (1950-2021) was a collector and preservationist of industrial age technology artifacts, as well as specialized areas in American history and fine art. He was the founder and director of the American Museum of Industry and Technology located in New Preston, Connecticut. The museum was a non-profit organization, essentially a private holding entity for Robert’s extensive collections with assets estimated at over 9.3 million in 2016. Upon his death, his large estate not only included specialized industrial machinery and equipment, but 19th and early 20th century works of art by artists such as John Marin and Edward Hopper.