"Eglomise" is the term applied to the back-painted glass panels in these old French souvenirs. Most of them date 1800s, though they were made up through about 1910 in this manner, too. Later ones often have a photo set in instead. The early ones are our favorites, sometimes a screened ink-line like drawing that is then hand colored, or sometimes a full miniature painting original, all worked on the back side of a panel or convex plaque of glass. There are sometimes open spots left and a final step is application of thin mother of pearl panels so that the windows shimmer with pearlescent light, or architectural details are pearl - you can see how fun those are. I'm listing a whole collection from this genre, one at a time, so will just give the barest detail of each as we move through the collection.
This one is wonderful - an expansive view of Le Tour Eiffel or Eiffel Tower and surroundings, constructed for the 1889 Paris World's Fair. The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair, it was initially criticised by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but it has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognized structures in the world. The Eiffel Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world with over 6.9 million people ascending it in 2015 alone. If you look closely, however, you can see the "Grand Roue" Ferris wheel in the background (upper left area) which means this piece likely dates to the 1900 Exposition Universelle as pointed out by one of our viewers. Thank you!
Very good condition for age and type. There is a small flash chip to the lower front corner of the right side glass panel. The pressed brass framework is in very good condition, as well, age and type considered and clasp is holding tight. The original interior is intact but quite tattered. See pictures for measurements.
