Brass Inlay
During the Regency period it was very much the height of opulence to inlay delicately shaped pieces of brass design into wood.
Inspired from the French Napoleonic style, this art form was only attained by the most skilled and patient craftsman. Not only would the brass itself have to be carefully hand fretted and filed into ornate and fluid designs, it would then have to be precisely inlaid into the wood without fault. The richer coloured woods like Mahogany, Rosewood, Kingwood and Coromandel were often favoured for use with brass inlay work as these combinations really emphasised and contrasted each other with great effect.
As Victorian styles began to change, the use of inlaid brass was more often reserved for personalising boxes with decorative monograms and escutcheons, rather than overall box decoration.

Engraved floral, foliate and scrollwork design brass inlay on an antique jewellery box in coromandel.

An inlaid and engraved brass design consisting of scrollwork, foliation, bees and bee skeps (beehives) from an antique jewellery box in rosewood.

Brass inlay design depicting grapevines from a French antique jewellery box by Aucoc.

Geometric and floral brass inlay from an antique jewellery box in rosewood.

Yellow and rose brass foliate and scrollwork inlay from a French antique jewellery box in ebony. Yellow brass (standard brass) contains about 67-70% copper whilst rose brass contains about 85% copper hence the pinkish appearance.

Greek key design brass inlay from an antique jewellery box in kingwood by Wells & Lambe.

Brass inlay on an antique kingwood jewellery box.

Inlaid and engraved brass monogram and coronet from an antique jewellery box in coromandel by Leuchars.

Foliate brass inlay from an antique rosewood jewellery cabinet.

Engraved foliate brass escutcheon from a French antique jewellery box in ebony with brass inlay by Alphonse Giroux & Cie, Paris.

Inlaid and engraved foliate brass designs on an antique jewellery box in rosewood.

Inlaid foliate brass designs on an antique jewellery box in rosewood by Austin of Dublin.

Inlaid foliate brass designs on an antique jewellery box in rosewood, by Charles Essex.