19th Century Gilt Brass Medieval Gothic Reliquary Style Casket by Adolph Frankau

Here is a superbly detailed antique Victorian brass gothic casket depicting medieval style scenes on all sides and the lid. The scenes seem to depict the life of Christ, those on the front and lid seem to show the nativity. Each side has different scene and there is a knight in one, a beast in another and what appear to be a king and queen in a different panel. The interior base of the box is lined in burgundy fabric (though the lid is not). It is very heavy for its size and seems to be of solid brass with a gilt finish. There are various versions of these caskets, and this is a very good one. The casting is crisp and it has the right amount of patina, neither too bright nor too dark. It is a little tarnished underneath. This item has a makers mark of the initals "Afc" within a hexagonal shape. The marking is for the very well regarded company of Adolph Frankau and Company, makers from the mid 1800's in London. There is no tab to the lid and the hinges are sound. There is a lock plate but no key.