A stunning table snuff, or powder jar, finest French sterling silver and by the 19th century silversmith, Paul FREY, Paris. The gold layering and interior are 18k gold applied to the .950/1000 solid silver box (vermeil), and the scene so beautifully crafted in acid-etched intaglio up top is after the French Romanticist movement of the 1700s, and works by Bouchard, Boucher and etc., originals of which hang in the Louvre and other major museums of the world. This one is noted as "aprés" or after the work of Lancret. Nicholas Lancret (1690-1743) was a French painter, and this is after his work, "After Dinner". I believe that the engraver has also signed, "Trainier".
Very good to excellent condition, this 19th century snuff would have had more 18k gold vermeil on exterior, as retained more effectively on interior, but for more than a century of polishing. Beautiful guilloche or machined work, and the box has no dings nor dents. Superb old one, 3" diameter and 1 1/4" tall when closed. Smooth fit, and it dates c.1890s
