Ticking Watch Box. French, ca. 1880s. A borrowed watch is locked inside the finely crafted wooden jewelry box and can be heard ticking inside. When reopened, the timepiece has vanished. Ticking mechanism concealed under base; box finely crafted with inlaid brass, with burled accents. 4 x 3 x 2 ?". Includes winding key. While the Watch Box was a standard prop for makers like Martinka and its contemporaries, this ?ticking" version was far more costly and was constructed to a higher standard; thus, today, surviving examples are far scarcer than their more ordinary counterparts (see next lot).