A fine 18th century lathe-turned tortoise shell snuff box with broad 18k gold mat mount - Pre-revolutionary French gentleman in claret or wine colored velvet overcoat with bright red vest. His powdered hair in side roll curls and a pony tail down the back with big black bow (ok, I'm seeing that even though it's not showing on the painting because it is the completion of his very fashionable look. C. 1750-70, a dignitary or Nobleman who remains unidentified. I did take him out of his mount to clean the cover glass, and there is no ID within, and I found no artist's signature. A handsome and beautifully dressed Noble, or might he have been a leader during the French Revolution - his blue eyes hold a direct stare, slight defiance. One wonders! Full measurements noted on the photos, but his face is just 5/8", chin to hairline.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. You can see it is not perfect. The painting has some flaw to left of his face, something as old as is the painting and seems consistent with an artist's drop of water on a completed painting. Hard to fix that but he/she has tried. No breaks or chips, hairlines on the painting. The cover glass is fine and the 18k gold mount is more substantial than most, yet still thin. The flaw most notable for this one only shows with box open, and as you see, 3 chips on the slender inner lip. They cover well with lid in place. No visible box damage displayed closed. A fabulous and early one, not to be missed!
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.
