Syrian Biscuit Tin

The Syrian Biscuit Tin was created by Huntley, Boorne & Stevens in 1903. It was made with the technique of offset lithographic printing. The design was printed onto a glazed, flat cardboard sheet which was then offset on to the tinplate. The object has an overall hexagonal form and emulates a carved Islamic wood table from the 18th or 19th century. The colors used in the object are browns and golds. The top consists of 3 hexagons within each other, each ornamented differently. It consists of six sides and is very symmetrical. Each side is rectangular, has a square on it and is very intricately decorated. Repetition can be seen all throughout the object. Along each side is a pattern of repeating circles and diamonds. Along each top side is a pattern of diamonds and within each square is another pattern, all intricately ornamented. Along the top edge of each side is a solid band that is gold and really stands out in comparison to the rest of the object. Another part that catches your eye is the gold colored circles within each square. Overall, the biscuit tin is a solid form except for around the base on each side. Here you can see negative space between the ‘legs’ of the tin which has an Islamic shaped cut out.
One object that is similar to that of the Syrian Biscuit Tin is the Sofa by John H. Belter. The color scheme of the sofa is the same with browns and golds. The sofa is also symmetrical like the tin and is very intricately ornamented. An object that is contrasted to the biscuit tin is the Sheraton Tilt-top Dining Table. This table has a circular top and is one solid color. It also contains no ornamentation and is not as solid of a form as the biscuit tin.