Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1878-08-24

A Paris correspondent writes: The
jewel casket, powder box and portemon-
naie Of Mrs. A. Sunderland, Of Califor-
mia, valued at $50, 900. attract much at-
tention. They were made expressly for
the Exposition by order Of Mrs. Sunder-
land, and after her own designs and
ideas by a jeweller Of San Francisco.
As Rwork Of the jewellers art they are
surpassed bx anything in the Exposi.
tion. The ortemonnais 4 made Of
solid gold and quartz ROD I'm mosaic,
beautifully iptsrspersed Win gold. The
qnarts rock used ip this and the other
Hs7.d. @ asSsSSl Arlington Ter.
ritory. e Hsr
The jewel csaslkst represents the sub
stantial wealth Of sks miuhs on the
Pacific COAST being ~ entirely Of
gold and gold quartz l0ck from the
mines of Californis, Oregon, Nevada
and Idaho. and required the steady work
of five skilful artisans for six months for
its completion.
It is about fifteen inches long, ten
inches wide and about ten inches deep,
and this, with the other articles, weighs
nearly nineteen pounds. The casket,
for richness, beauty and novelty has
never been surpassed. 1t rests on four
feet of solid gold, each Of which repre-.
sents the symbolic female figure that
adorns the coat of arms Of the State OF
California, with the bear at her side.
The figures are in full relief and most
elegantly formed, and constitute a
salient feature of the beautiful work.
The sides and ends of the casket are
composed of solid slabs of gold quartz,
highly polished, cut in spheroids, and
are inlaid in solid gold, with ornamental
surroundings. The four handsomely
wrought pillars upon the sides are of
Roman Doric style, which is artistically
carried out in the entire work. The
base of the casket is ornamented with
graceful foliations, which are repeated
upon the mouldings that finish the lid
or cover. The top is of solid gold,
beautifully inlaid with gold quartz
in the finest mosaic work, hun
dreds of pieces being required
for the construction of this exquisite
cover. The most elegant part of the
whole casket is the exquisite piece OF
workmanship on the inside of the cover,
it being pictorial and historical repre-
sentation of buffalo hunt on the plains.
The engraving of the landscape is very
fine, the shubbery and trees being in
bas-relief. In the foreground is the
railway track, with two buAaloes DASH
ing across it to evade the hunters, who
are in close pursuit. 4All Of this is in
alto-relievo, and with great expression.
The figures Are not only correctly pro-
ed but skilfully handled, and the
whole representation is artistically
wrought.
The powder-box is composed of
quartz rock, its shape being round and
made to resemble Greek dome, the top
or cover being supported by eight
columns of solid gold quartz rock, beau
tifully polished, each capped with pure
gold. The cover forming the roof of the
dome is exquisitely inlaid with quartz
rock of variegated colors, filed with the
precious metal, and is bound on edge
with solid rim of gold, the inside be.
ing lined with solid gold. The body of
the box is made from one large mass of
quartz rock, bored out and elegantly
polished on the outside, while the inside
is lined throughout with solid gold, and
rests on an ornamented base made of
quartz rock mounted in gold. The
whole is surmounted with the emblem
of California, viz, the grizzly bear,
which is represented as crossing the
great overland railway. The powder
puff is made of the same material, and
is of the greatest taste. Two pounds Of
solid gold, and the same quantity of
gold quartz, we're required to make the
above.