An exceptionally fine Swiss (probably Geneva) guilloché enamel patch box, circa 1795–1810, beautifully crafted in silver with traces of its original vermeil. The body is covered in brilliant translucent crimson kiln-fired enamel over engine-turned guilloché, richly decorated with raised gold scrollwork, tiny hand-painted floral reserves, and delicate white enamel accents. The interior retains its original portrait miniature of a fashionable young woman beneath glass.
Although only 2 inches in diameter, the quality of the enameling and construction rivals the finest Genevan objets de vertu of the period. The silver mount bears a minute oval maker's punch, apparently double-struck and now indistinct, while the surviving interior vermeil and absence of later assay marks are consistent with early Swiss luxury enamels. A remarkably elegant and beautifully preserved example.
Measures: 2 inches in diameter; 1⅛ inches high.
