“Have you ever been to a flea market in Brussels? Flea markets are basically all alike, but Brussels seems to be the most unpresentable. So, at least, I thought early in the spring of last year when I was making my way through the narrow aisles between counters and tables and just trash on the ground. You never know what you will find in such a place. But you need to look carefully. My eyes slid indifferently over the seller's shoes, the box, the silver spoon and the black dress, but ... went back to the box. asked the host and a shoe, how much this thing costs. He answered me: “On peut en discuter.” That is, “We can talk about it with you” or “Bargaining is appropriate” - so, it seems, it will be in Russian? And we will I found out that the owner of the box (“Well, just a pearl in the dust!” - I thought, having discerned it) - a student at a local university that sells it to buy a girl a gift — either for her birthday, or for their anniversary dating ... Pure O'Henry, "The Gifts of the Magi" and only! The market is not a reason to show sentimentality, here we must bargain. But before I asked why he did not want to give this box to his girlfriend. "Yes, this is indecent," replied the young man. “I'll buy a normal gift,” he added, when the money was already in his pocket. We broke up both completely happy. And I became the owner of a beautiful thing. It was made in France before the First World War and belongs to the school of two masters - Seizo Sugawara and Katsu Hamanaku, who since 1900 have taught French decorators Oriental (Chinese and Japanese) techniques. Including carving on multi-layered varnish (coromandel) and micromosaic from eggshell. One of the artists who worked in this technique was Jean Dunand. Probably he is the author of the box, which I am pleased to present to the readers of the magazine SALON-interior ".