French Louis XVI-Style Ormolu & Crystal Casket with Miniature Portrait
A superb late 19th-century French jewelry or table casket, crafted in the refined Louis XVI taste. The circular body is formed of cut crystal with a starburst base, encased in finely chased ormolu (gilt bronze) mounts. The mounts are decorated with garlands of roses, laurel leaves, and ribbon-tied festoons, emblematic of neoclassical design favored during the reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
The hinged lid is a true highlight: it is inset with a hand-painted portrait miniature of a lady in late 18th-century dress, with powdered hair adorned by a garland of pink roses and blue ribbons. The portrait is framed within an engine-turned ormolu surround, the lid itself richly worked with a field of gilt stars and further adorned with laurel sprays, rosettes, and a central rococo cartouche. Inside, the lid is fitted with a mirrored panel, adding to the jewel-like quality of the piece.
Such boxes were often presented as luxurious gifts and used to store jewelry, keepsakes, or small toilette articles. They were inspired by the refinement of the Ancien Régime, with many late 19th-century Parisian ateliers producing revivalist works of this caliber for wealthy collectors and the international market.
Date: Circa 1880–1900
Origin: France
Materials: Cut crystal, ormolu (gilt bronze), hand-painted portrait miniature on ivory or card
Style: Louis XVI Revival / Neoclassical
Condition: Excellent overall, with crisp detail to the ormolu mounts and only minor age wear. The portrait miniature retains fine color and charm.
French Louis XVI-Style Ormolu & Crystal Casket with Miniature Portrait
A superb late 19th-century French jewelry or table casket, crafted in the refined Louis XVI taste. The circular body is formed of cut crystal with a starburst base, encased in finely chased ormolu (gilt bronze) mounts. The mounts are decorated with garlands of roses, laurel leaves, and ribbon-tied festoons, emblematic of neoclassical design favored during the reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
The hinged lid is a true highlight: it is inset with a hand-painted portrait miniature of a lady in late 18th-century dress, with powdered hair adorned by a garland of pink roses and blue ribbons. The portrait is framed within an engine-turned ormolu surround, the lid itself richly worked with a field of gilt stars and further adorned with laurel sprays, rosettes, and a central rococo cartouche. Inside, the lid is fitted with a mirrored panel, adding to the jewel-like quality of the piece.
Such boxes were often presented as luxurious gifts and used to store jewelry, keepsakes, or small toilette articles. They were inspired by the refinement of the Ancien Régime, with many late 19th-century Parisian ateliers producing revivalist works of this caliber for wealthy collectors and the international market.
Date: Circa 1880–1900
Origin: France
Materials: Cut crystal, ormolu (gilt bronze), hand-painted portrait miniature on ivory or card
Style: Louis XVI Revival / Neoclassical
Condition: Excellent overall, with crisp detail to the ormolu mounts and only minor age wear. The portrait miniature retains fine color and charm.