The dates for this remarkable 18th century French portrait miniature snuff box cannot be mistaken, nor the political statement it makes. Rich and spoiled young Royalists, during the 5-year period 1795-1799 dressed in elaborately crafted clothing which seemed at once frivolous, and yet also protested The Terror, the guillotine, and the displacement of Royals and those who supported them. You'll want to look at the history of this most unique fashion statement. The dog-ear hair, the high collar (that coat would be cropped, I'm certain, to just above waist), the colorful striped silk vest and, notably, the overly thick ascot which was a mimic of the severing of heads at guillotine. Portraits from this era, these wealthy young people at a time of chaos after the French Revolution, trying to make sense of their losses - they're personal favorites among portrait miniatures. That this one is mounted on a pristine lathe turned tortoise shell snuff of finest quality and condition makes it all the more rare, precious!
Very good to excellent condition throughout on this one. I removed the mount from box, cleaned the cover glass and found the magnificent work of art completely unscathed by the centuries within. The slightly haughty look of the young "Incroyable" with his drama upon his pampered face is only 3/4" chin to his natural hairline (not to his bangs). The lathed tortoise shell snuff box is, likewise, pristine. Best of best! Note the contrast deep green lacquer of the bottom - worked a bit similarly to Vernis Martin items.
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.
