From my personal collection, one of my favorites for decades, this darling little painting of a Faun is perfectly preserved beneath the original convex cover glass, and not a bit of pique (silver) has gone missing. While some will call this a patch box, and it might have been, I think it is a bit past the true patch box era (early to mid-1700s), and is a toothpick case. Yes, I have a fabulous c.1780-1800 mechanical retracting 18k gold tool which would have gone into one of these. The handle on mind is mother of pearl, and on one end a toothpick, the other an ear wax spoon. But I digress. This case is a stunning example of this type of vanity case, item. In my final 2 photos you can see others - elongated little boxes, fitted in 18k gold, a couple of them with braids of hair set in memento compartment up top (these will be sold separately). This one has a clean and elegant interior, the mirror still in the upper lid's interior. Measurements noted on the photos, but it is 4" long.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. A true museum piece, I've seen several at the Louvre, also V&A, none finer than this one, really. The gold trim at the clasp is likely 18k but I have not tested it. The balance of metal of the case is a plated gold on silver, typical vermeil used in fine French goods. The only flaw notable would be that there are a few tiny bug bites. You'll probably only see them in my greatly enlarged photos, but you might feel them with fingertips here or there as you enjoy it in the hand. RARE magnificent little treasure. Don't miss it.
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.
