C. 1750-80 Romantic Era hand carved ivory patch box or snuff box, bonbon, this charming little treasure would have been a gift to a lover. The tiny 3/16" face of Cupid and sweet small painting, is filled with Romantic Era (Louis XIV-XVI) iconography - a pair of love birds, a pair of burning hearts on the pillar/alter, and Cupid holding the wreath of matrimony, his bow and quiver laid down. It symbolizes a lasting love and union, neither still looking for other love. A wedding trinket or gift, perhaps? Or signal of the true love found outside of an arranged marriage. Nobels, owning to the materials and the 18k gold mat which frames the little painting under its slightly convex original glass. Superb little treasure, though we don't know whose love it celebrates.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. You see the cross-grain of natural old ivory, and there is a small disruption to it there on the top of the box. Otherwise, really nothing to report other than a little dirt I missed with naked eye. It shows on our very enlarged photos, however (I apologize) and will be cleaned immediately). An old tax stamp or inventory stamp remains on the inner lid. Possibly only recently offered from an estate of centuries. I wish we had story of original owners, but it was from an anonymous estate.
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.
