OBJECTS Interiors and the Art of Furniture Design Bonbonnière, 1909 Karel Ebner (1883–1945) Prague Parcel-gilt silver, mother-of-pearl, coral, adularia, turquoise; width 6.5 cm Bears the Austro-Hungarian (Prague) hallmark and the maker’s mark KE This small chocolate box was created for a competition announced by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague in 1909. After scoring success in the competition, the piece was purchased for the museum’s collections. The box was designed by the goldsmith Karel Ebner, who made full use of his refined taste for the materials’ expressive properties. The object’s triangular form is derived from the centripetal posture of the fish on the lid. The naturalistic, chased details of its silvery body stand out in a prominent design. Set against a textured, gilt background, bubbles come out of the fish’s mouth, and they are also rendered to suggest a swirling motion. The contrast between the cold fish eye, cut from an adularia stone, and the glimmering light emanating from the mother-of-pearl, coral and turquoise bubbles complete the object’s visual impact.