This is certainly one of the prettiest of these 19th century whimsical little French souvenirs we've ever found, and one of the most well-preserved. Of these mother of pearl trinkets, this one a souvenir original sold from the beach town of Le Havre, France, and not only because of that gorgeous high-color pearlescent billowing sails, but also due to the intricate twisted wire rigging and details of mast, flag, rudder, etc.. The item is a desktop caddy, inkwell and it even still retains its 1" square inkwell and lid. Full measurements noted on our photos.
Very good to excellent condition throughout. I don't find so much as a chip on any of the superb quality mother of pearl. Prettiest one ever, and I buy these whenever I can find them complete. We've had perhaps 12 through the 3 decades we've been doing this.