The clothing looks Roman, the scene depicting 2 suitors trying to ply the affections of the beautiful young woman between them. She has a bared breast, (snuff is considered a "naughty" by collector terms), and she puts fingers in both ears to block out the professions of admiration and affection from both men. The painting is charming! Protected very well under original cover glass, an outer border mat I did not test for gold, though it might well be low karat gold. The box is shell, and is very nicely crafted and shaped. Not a pocket snuff, it is large at nearly 4" in length. All images of the painting have been taken through the slightly convex cover glass, so some glare to be noted.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. The shell box is lined on inside with a rim of thinner shell, which you can see has been crafted (not broken) at each end near the hinge side. I'm unsure of the reason for that shaping, but can assure you it is not damage but is design. There are a couple of very very light hairlines at corners, look closely. Structurally, the box is very soundly preserved, hinge is smooth and closure without any evidence of warp nor breaks. Painting is perfectly preserved under original convex cover glass, also perfect. Full measurements noted on the photos. From experience, I would date it c.1810-1860.
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.
