Minerva-Ray Sales, Co.
Fluted Catalin (form of Bakelite) Powder Box
circa 1930s
The smooth swirlings of this box’s milky opaque orange pallor suggest that its initial resin was first heated, dyed and mixed with a slightly lighter-coloured version of phenol formaldehyde plastic, and then placed into a mould and pressurised with heat. This process, known as Catalin [casted ware], is generally deemed the more elegant of the two forms of innovative resin design that climaxed in the early twentieth century, originating in North America. The alternative process is known simply as Bakelite [moulded ware] and is often the term more frequently used to describe these first creations of synthetic plastic, owing to the fact that both processes follow similar mixtures and compositions.
Considered as the more sturdy and reliable of the two techniques, Bakelite ware certainly offers a less affected (meaning less susceptible to scratches or fractures) demeanour in the face of rougher handling - the reason for which Art Déco products such as telephones, game sets (billiard balls or chess pieces, for example), radios and even wristwatches soon found themselves marketed as avant-garde works of ‘Bakelite’. To the attentive eye, however, there is a flattering difference between the two resin makes, making it appropriate to therefore compliment Minerva-Ray Sales, Co. for its subtly-sophisticated design of this powder box. Its cast-ware make beautifully imbues its form with a gloss and lucidity that visually enunciates its purpose to contain something charming but ephemeral, while its elongating flutings act to fortify its call to be handled delicately and cautiously by only the most patient of fingers.
