Early 20th Century Two-Tiered Marble-Painted Tramp Art Box with Drawers

An extraordinary early 20th century two-tiered tramp art box, painted in vibrant faux-marble finishes. Measuring 9.5" wide, 7.5" deep, and 9.5" high, this complex structure is built entirely through the tramp art technique of stacking chip-carved sections. Each tier is composed of 20 layers, creating a bold architectural presence.

The box contains two wide drawers — one in each tier — with the bottom drawer retaining its original cigar box label stamped “On the Level”, complete with a printed cigar illustration. The painted surface is remarkable: faux-marble decoration in shades of deep blue, sea green, and fiery orange, producing a dynamic, almost otherworldly glow.

This is one of the finest tramp art boxes I have encountered, notable for its complexity, craftsmanship, and the luminous quality of its painted finish. A true masterwork of American vernacular art.

Tramp art was popular from roughly the 1870s through the 1940s. No one knows for sure how the practice got started, but the materials used to make it, especially wooden cigar boxes, had become standard around the 1850s. Cigar smoking was very popular at the time, and by law, the boxes couldn't be reused by cigar manufacturers, so there were plenty of them around. The people who made tramp art weren't trained artists. They taught themselves how to chip the wood and assemble objects. Some sources suggest that tramp art was made by itinerant workers and tradesmen, which means they traveled from place to place selling goods and services. But not all tramp art was made by wanderers or people without permanent homes. It took time and patience to assemble tramp art objects.

Excellent condition