I sold an 8" long box (shown in the final image) this week, and in that process I realized I have 7-8 of them in my display case, not listed at all. No wonder they haven't sold, huh. But I'm working them up, and this is the largest of the bunch. These are truly works of art! Kiln-fired enamel, painstakingly worked as muddy mauves to blues as glaze slip, impossible to know what color they will be when the kiln's heat melts the powders into a glassine porcelain-like layer. This art is incredibly difficult, and apprentices will work many years before being capable of panels like these 5, dainty florals, shaded and elegant. I know this because I have tried this art. You must know and remember where every dab and stroke of the various slip goes, and an error in memory or stroke can ruin an entire panel. The dip convex plaques you see are copper, and are each worked separately, then installed into the bronze or dore alloy, lined in silk, and many of the finest were offered through TAHAN - some holding onto their stickers or with lock plate engraved as such. Two colonies of enamelist artisans were at work in France through the 1800s, creating these, the styles identifiable with experience. This one is a Sevres enamelist community casket. More to decorative styles also seen on porcelains. The other was Bresse, France artisans, creating raised dots, foiled and a more patterned decorative product, referred to as "Bressan".
This one is very good to excellent for age and type. Most have at least some light imperfections to the old glassine porcelain like layer on copper, so you might see fine hairlines on to shattered, badly chipped panels and boxes, items. This one is very minimally showing its age. I've shown that one 3/4" hairline on the corner of the lid, visible from some angles and not from others. Additionally, a white raised jewel dot or 2 might have gone missing. It's most noticeable flaw is that the original crimson silk lid liner has been lost. Easy to replace if you're handy. Photos show it from all angles, be sure to look at them all.
