A remarkable & rare antique French Napoleon III era gilt bronze ormolu casket, a serpentine shaped scent caddy with unique reticulated & two-toned gold & silvered bronze body, hand painted Paris or Sevres porcelain plaque on top and two delightfully tiny Grand Tour style eglomise scent or perfume bottles nestled inside! The plaque in the lid either Paris or Sevres porcelain, slightly convex with the 'Sevres' or 'Celeste' blue bordering and colorful hand painted floral decoration. The box itself is quite beautiful, a stunning array of reticulated scrolls in both a rich gilded AND silvered finish. The interior still has what appears to be the original lining in the bottom holding two tiny perfume bottles with eglomise tops showing architectural views of Paris surely. The original lock is intact and has a working skeleton key. The box is c. 1850-80s, a most spectacular little treasure!
Very good condition. No cracks or damage to the perfume bottles but one of the tops has moisture damage/darkening to the eglomise watercolor on card scene and they are both missing internal stoppers. The porcelain plaque in the lid has a very faint crack, we removed it, glued it and put a thick clear coat over the top which strengthens it and basically erases any visible sign of the crack from the top side. Missing any lining on the inside of the lid. Likely original and working old skeleton key intact. A really beautiful and ornate one, this! See pictures for all measurements.
