At Bonds, we love the exquisite enamel boxes from Halcyon Days. This one in particular has really captivated us, as it captures a moment from one of the nation’s best-loved stories: Peter Pan. A story that never grows old… Peter Pan was created by Scottish writer J M Barrie. Peter, a boy who “never grows up” lives with other “Lost Boys” in Neverland, a romantic land where they battle pirates and make friends with fairies, mermaids and Native Americans. Peter first appeared in other works by Barrie, and was given his own novel in 1911, Peter Pan and Wendy, where he’s joined by the three Darling children on a swashbuckling adventure. It’s been the inspiration for so many films, most famously Disney’s 1953 animation, Peter Pan. The scene on the enamel box is one of the story’s iconic moments. Peter, with his tiny sidekick, feisty fairy Tinker Bell, has persuaded the three young Darling children to leave their London home and fly with him to Neverland. Tink sprinkles “pixie dust” over the children which gives them the ability to fly, then they soar through the city sky, “past the second star to the right and straight on til morning.” This painting is taken from the work of London-born artist Peter Ellenshaw, who among other things, worked on the landscapes for 34 Disney films. He was made a “Disney Legend” in 1993, and after that was commissioned to paint scenes from other Disney films. The five characters soar in a swirl of golden pixie dust above the moonlit Thames, Tower Bridge in the background. It’s a scene that encapsulates this part of the novel, as magic enters the everyday life of the Darling family and sweeps them off for “awfully big adventures”. It’s incredible to think that so much detail has been captured on a 3” box. A fairy gift… Halcyon Days has turned this magical image into a lovely enamel box. The royal blue box has the famous scene on its lid, reproduced in wonderfully vivid colours. Halcyon Days was founded in Mayfair in 1950, starting out as an antiques shop and then going on to lead a revival in enamelled copper boxes. The company carries on creating hand-finished enamel boxes, and holds all three Royal Warrants. Their Peter Pan box is one of many in their collection that takes an iconic theme and realises it beautifully. If you’d like to know more about the Halcyon Days Peter Pan box, or any of the other enamel boxes in our collection, please get in touch with us at Bonds the Jewellers. This pretty enamel box is the perfect gift for one of Halcyon Days’ many collectors – or for anyone who believes in fairies…
