A beautiful old treasure, this is a billet doux, (sweet notes), into which a rolled note or invitation to tryst or meeting would be tucked, then delivered by courier to one's intended partner, lover. These were at height of use during the reign of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. This one is beautifully preserved and you can see the hand painted decoration includes 2 hearts, side by side.
Very good to excellent for age and type. The tube is crafted in wood, hand painted, almost a Vernis Martin type of layering of oil paint and varnish, the primary motif being a forest and 2 hearts seated side by side. The case or etui is so nicely preserved, no damage to report, really. A tortoise shell inner tube, over which the cap slides on snug and well-fitting. A rim of engraved silver and one of ivory trim out the billet doux in fine order. Full measurements are noted on the photos.
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding antique tortoise shell or ivory: We are great supporters of protection for endangered species in our modern world. We never buy or sell anything 100 years or newer; we donate to anti-poaching organizations; we don't hunt; we conserve in ways that impact global warming (we're totally solar at home), knowing those measures also protect the animals in the wild today. We also recognize the vast cultural history we preserve with our care and reverence for these antique objects, and agree with CITES that objects over 100 years of age have nothing whatsoever to do with species depletion in our current world.
Our offering exceeds the age limitation of "more than 100 years of age", and is well within the exemption for CITES regulation. If imported, met the CITES regulation. This item will be handled and shipped from our Utah business, and is not available for shipment internationally, nor within the USA to California, NY, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington if it contains ivory, sorry. Please see our small print for more details.
