So pretty! The frame for this young beauty of the mid-1700s is a locket of tortoise shell. The round bale up top has been bent, but it can either be hung on a wall, or, as I would want, to be worn as a pendant on a chain or velvet ribbon. The natural shell is beautiful throughout, well preserved. The brass mat for the aperture and the glass covering and protecting the little painting are each in very good condition, too. A few minutes with pliars and that bale can be round again. We wanted to show you the condition, and let you decide if you want it oval or round. The portrait is lovely. I think the object is a Grand Tour mid-1800s souvenir, and not from the mid-1700s, likely a souvenir trade painting in miniature.
Very good to excellent condition, the only flaw notable is the slightly bent bale up top. The tortoise shell casing is just gorgeous, and so is the small painting. While she appears as one would in mid 1700s, I am certain the piece is not that old, and likely Napoleon III era for Grand Tour souvenir trade, instead, representing a painting from the Louvre, or a historical figure of note.
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.
