A splendid c.1820-50s portrait of 18th century figure, Marie-Antoinette, after an earlier original painting, this one done for the early 1800s Grand Tour souvenir trade, and is a magnificent lathe-turned ivory larger box, perhaps sold as a powder box originally, about the size of a typical table snuff of that era, as well. Very clean, no residue or staining which might indicate it was used for either snuff or snuff. It has been well-treasured, or stored away, and presents beautifully and without notable flaws. The painting is in gouache on very thin wafer, protected perfectly beneath original cover glass, mounted in dore-bronze and brass mount frame, set perfectly into the recess made in the lid. It is signed by an artist. These were 'aprés' or after the greater artworks of historical figures. One can certain imagine this one being offered to visitors to Versailles during it's own time, but it is not an 18th century item.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type. Rarer as time goes, very hard to find in superior condition, this one would have 150 or more years already. No warp, no chips, no breaks or even hairlines, which is quite a pleasure to have found and owned. Time for my collections to be offered, and this has been a favorite. I always hoped to find an ostrich down puff for the interior, but just never did. SO pretty! Restrictions apply!
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.
