This rare half plate thermoplastic case bearing "The Vision of Ezekiel" on its cover is an exceptional example of mid-nineteenth-century American case manufacture, produced by Henning and Eymann of New York, whose imprint is visible in the lower border of the central scene. The deeply molded dark brown thermoplastic lid presents a dramatic high-relief composition drawn from Raphael's celebrated painting of the same name, with the figure of God the Father raised aloft by winged cherubs above the four living creatures of the prophet's vision. The interior is presently empty, with the image well retaining its original tan velvet surround on the right side and a crimson embossed velvet pad on the left.
The lid's central scene is surrounded by an elaborate border of acanthus scrollwork, roses, oak leaves, corn ears, and a fruit basket at the lower center, all rendered with the sharp detail that thermoplastic molding allowed. The hinge spine shows two brass barrel hinges, and the case body is constructed with a flat-sided thermoplastic shell over a wood substrate with beveled edges.
Henning and Eymann operated in New York during the 1850s and are known for producing some of the most elaborately decorated thermoplastic cases of the period, with scriptural and artistic subjects among their most ambitious designs. The Vision of Ezekiel composition is among the rarer Henning and Eymann titles documented by case collectors and historians.
The case is a half plate size and carries the molded imprint "HENNING & EYMANN N.Y." in the lower border of the central scene. The title "THE VISION OF EZECHIEL" is molded in raised letters directly below the main composition.
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