A stunning large museum quality powder box or jewelry casket, decorated with such elegance on all sides and bottom and featuring a portrait miniature in enamel, the French Minerve in her helmet on the lid. Guilloche worked so the red enamel shines in a pattern. The casket is all copper, deep large plaques worked by a true master. The over-her-shoulder pose of Minerve not only lets her helmet show well, but gives a very unique and interesting viewpoint which the maker has set into the frame at an angle to show best when open. Often these are made, you open them and the figure is upside down. In fact, it seems almost a strange mounting angle, but one can see that there is method to the madness of it when opened in display. Raised jewel dots and foil backed costume and jewelry, all comprising my favorite enamel box ever. Large powder or jewelry box, a full 5 1/2" wide and 2 3/8" tall when closed.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. So rare to find an old museum piece of this quality enamel work without a lot of damage. I will say, there is one chip which exposes copper plaque beneath it, and a very tiny other one. Neither in display spots, and each could be quite easily restored. both on the dark ground color of the bottom bulbous half of the box. I have an excellent enamelist. I'm tempted to send this one off for professional restoration on the 2 small flaws, but she's very behind right now. Listing as she is with the understanding that if our buyer wants to be connected for the small restoration, I'll set it up. Only for buyer, however. It's not expensive. It just takes time.
