Grand Hotel de l'Europe Marquetry Commemorative Box

Grand Hotel de l'Europe Marquetry Commemorative Box, Bad Gastein, Austria, early 20th century, probably made to commemorate the opening of the hotel, inlay depicts a partially draped female by an image of a mountain town and an ewer, inscription "Gastein Quelle Ewiger Jung" (Source of Eternal Youth), unmarked, ht. 3 1/4, wd. 13, dp. 9 3/4 in.

Note: In 1904, Viktor Sedlacek commissioned Matthäus Schlager, a master cathedral builder from Linz in Austria, as planner and site engineer for the Grand Hotel de l´Europe. Construction took place from 1906-09. When completed, it was the largest hotel in Bad Gastein. The Grand Hotel's guests included European royalty, industrialists, and notable artists of the time.