These beautiful old cases or etui are called "etui á cire" in French, and were often included in the elegant nécessaire or dressing box, chests, of the 18th to early 19th century. The tube holds a stick of sealing wax, perhaps a few matches or spills to light, and the end of the case is the seal, itself, or matrix. This one was made special for a titled Royal, and carries the silversmith's tiny mark and also the tiny control mark designating it as .800/1000 our silver dating c.1838 or later. A generous layer of 18k gold, and the method is called 'vermeil'. Very fine quality piece. Brillaince of gold and durability of .800 silver. Measurements: 2 3/8" long and a matrix of 7/8" diameter, slightly larger than the etui. I've flipped the matrix in the opening pic and final one so you can see how it will imprint - an overlapping C and M, works either way. If you look at it straight on, it sort of looks like a D M, but it will print clearly as CM or MC, your choice.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type, a bit of wear to the old vermeil, but not so much that it isn't still gold. It would appear one seam is visible on the cap (look closely) along the side, but it is not actually split. Cap fits very smoothly and firmly. RARE Royal monogram! And so pretty!
