A splendid little gem of a portrait, kiln-fired enamel on convex plaque, mounted in 12k or higher gold mount and set into the lid of a magnificent 19th century table snuff box. A special gift for a father, perhaps? His beautiful little blond baby girl to remember forever thus. Alas, dated c.1840-50, he and she are both long lost and likely forgotten by many generations of progeny. This is what happens, and then these intimate treasured heirlooms become "more stuff" to be disbursed from the estate of someone. And this is how such treasures and heritage items come to us. I usually try my best to identify, or to research the artist, but we haven't clues to either on this little beauty. The box is 3 3/8" in diameter, typically noted as a table snuff. Her dainty little visage is just 1 " in diameter. Imagine the skill in capturing her likeness in enamels at that measurement.
Very good to excellent condition with a singular flaw notable, but it's not a tiny one. I've shown you in several views and angles of light so you can see clearly there is a hairline on the box top, outer rim. The lid is stable, but it bears that imperfection. Likely it happened 100 years ago, and still is in stable condition, and the rest of the box is excellent. No bug bites, no loss or chips or hairlines on the little portrait plaque, and the gold mat/mount is superb. I did not try to dismount it for fear of causing damage, and I'm not one to scrape the decorative surface of gold mats to test. I can guarantee you it is higher than 12k. I would think more like 16k to 18k, but I did not test this one so will say the low end rather than leave unsightly grape to acid-test for you. Full measurements are noted on the listing photos.
