Delightful antique French Belle Epoque era Vernis Martin style miniature doll sized sedan shaped vitrine, a lovely pocket watch or pendant display casket with original beveled glass windows and figural putti or cherub themed enamel exterior! We've had a few of these over the years, varying in condition. These were made in France between 1880-1910, give or take 10 years, and remain a lovely and popular display case for collections of miniature portraits (either open or closed), jewelry items or other small objects. They're charming and made to mimic the 1700s 'sedan' chairs, which had long poles attached to either side and required 4 carriers to transport a single occupant to their destination. In their large form, these were used by Royals such as Marie-Antoinette and earlier elites to get to and from any destination that required moving through crowds. The best old original ones I've seen can be found in major museums around the world, at Versailles and rather unexpectedly, also in a small out of the way museum in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where I found 3 in remarkably fine condition. One thinks of France and Italy, however, and of the 1700s decorators, The Brothers Martin, after whom the style of layering painting with varnishes is aptly named, "Vernis Martin". So what we have is a miniature after the form of those larger means of transport, and a charming one at that.
Very good condition. A bit of enamel wear around the pins holding the panels to the wooden box and some chips. All three glass panels are the original shaped & beveled pieces with no damage that I can see. Wear and some slight staining to the velvet nap top and back, as seen in the images. A paper label on the bottom reads "Procede Brevete S.G.D.G. Modele Depose". See pictures for measurements.
