An exceptional and large portrait miniature snuff box, French c.1823, and signed by artist CE Lauson (?) with a date below: 1823, located o the piano's fold-up key cover. A beautiful young woman whose hands are beautifully done in such miniature, playing from the sheet music. She has a look of Josephine, I think, but I can't confirm ID. She wears her pearl or perhaps diamond tiara, a carry-over from Napoleon era, slightly to the side and her hair is forward in curls around her pretty face. The lathe-turned burled wood snuff box is fitted in sterling silver mat, convex cover glass, and has 2 additional decorative bands. Interior lined in shell, very fine condition there. I want to point out that this is photographed before a slight restoration which we will complete. The mounted portrait in silver housing is not fitting back into the rather glue-gunned spot into which it must recess slightly more than it is at the moment. It will be carefully cleared with Dremel to allow it to inset fully and fit more flush and as it was meant to be. And then you'll never know she needed that small 'fix'.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. The wafer is without warp or cracks, though it does have some gunk of ages around perimeter which we will not clear from the wafer (it would disrupt the paint) but will clear from the perimeter so the silver mat and convex glass cover will again fit snugly and fully recessed. The box is otherwise excellent, 200 years of age having not taken from its beauty or form. Shell lining is without bites, cracks. The snuff is a large table snuff at 3 3/4" diameter. Her portrait is 3" in diameter. The box is 1 1/8" in depth, closed. And her face is just 3/4", chin to hairline.
