I did a cursory internet search to see if I could identify this portrait as the Royal I think she certainly is - starting with Catherine The Great and moving outward from there, but I have not spent the time necessary. Her hair and clothing set her c.1770s, give or take a decade, the row-billowed powdered wig, low bodice, embroidered gold thread ornamentation - I do think she is identifiable if you're willing to search deep. If you happen to recognize her, please do email. Fabulous painting, her face is so detailed and only 1/2" chin to hairline. I am comfortable with the snuff being 18th century, a taller than typical table snuff we sometimes see mid-1700s, it may well have been a powder box rather than snuff or patch. It is, as is typical, shell-lined but the entire box is created from thick tortoise shell lined with a thinner shell to form the lip where it's thin enough to see the mottles of coloration. Full measurements noted on the photos.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type, there is some definite age to the natural material of the box, itself, which can be seen on rims as tiny roughness or bug nibble, but there are no larger chips and no cracks or breaks. I do not see a signature on this painting, and there was no identification inside (I did open this one to clean the inner glass of centuries of dust). Greatly enlarged photo shows there is a tiny pin-point flake to the red shawl or robe at her shoulder which shows as a tiny white dot. No damage to the thick and slightly convex cover glass nor to its mount. She is remounted and flush into the box, once cleaned, and shows beautifully.
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.
