Bronze Jewelry Box Casket Miniature Ivory Paintings

This is one of the most incredible - to die for - jewelry caskets I have ever seen. The entire box is gilt bronze; the overall theme is in a basket weave and somewhat high relief. On all the edges all around the box it is accented with a very intricate applied grape vine with grape clusters. The detail is spectacular and the surface patina of the box is just the way it should be for this time period. The box is inset with hand painted ivory plaques and as I hope you can see has work that is almost microscopic, I mean it is smaller then miniature – it is actually micro-miniature - I’m speaking of the work.

The work has very pastel and muted colors. Each plaque depicts a famous architectural wonder in France. There are 4 oval plaques one on each side of the box and again the work is supremely executed - detail is exceptionally fine. The condition of the box is actually quite spectacular the inside is lined with a very old upholstered interior in sort of a faded apricot colored velvet. The plaques are all in fabulous condition except for the one on the top – it has a crack on the very top right - I hope you can see this in the pictures - and also a stress fracture on the lower bottom left. Another sort of booboo is a cloudy spot that I think is on the glass underneath and may not be on the ivory painting at all. The ovals are in excellent condition – they have no problems at all except for one of the ovals the glass covering over the painting on ivory has a little bit of play on it which means it wiggles back and forth a little bit. But other then that box is structurally fine and highly decorative – and if you like it from seeing it in the picture it would truly take your breath away when seeing is in real life.

Measurements: The top plaques covers almost the entire top of the box measuring 3 1/8” x 5 1/8” (leaving only ¾” wide rim around it for the top) and each of the oval plaques on the 4 sides measures approximately 1 ½” x 2 ½” - overall the box measures 8”w x 5 ¾” deep (at widest) and 4 ¼” high.