PARIS, CIRCA 1840/1850, STRUCK WITH THE POST 1840 FRENCH EXPORT MARK FOR GOLD AND THE 1838-1847 PARISIAN GUARANTEE MARK FOR SMALL GOLD ITEMS

Details

A FRENCH JEWELLED ENAMELLED GOLD PRESENTATION SNUFF-BOX
PARIS, CIRCA 1840/1850, STRUCK WITH THE POST 1840 FRENCH EXPORT MARK FOR GOLD AND THE 1838-1847 PARISIAN GUARANTEE MARK FOR SMALL GOLD ITEMS
rectangular box with rounded corners, the cover, sides and base with translucent dark-blue en taille d'épargne enamel, with chased and polished gold strapwork and foliage on an engine-turned ground, the cover centred with a diamond-set initial of Leopold I (1790-1865), King of Belgium 1831-1865, beneath a royal crown
3¼ in. (82 mm.) wide

Brought to you by

Matilda Burn

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

mburn@christies.com +44 (0)20 7752 3026

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

The diamond initial on the cover is the cypher of Leopold I (1790-1865), King of Belgium 1831-1865. Leopold was the youngest son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and the Countess Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf, and later became a prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. After Belgium asserted its independence from the Netherlands on 4 October 1830, the Belgian National Congress considered several candidates and eventually asked Leopold to become King of the newly formed country. He was elected on 4 June, accepted, and became "King of the Belgians" on 26 June 1831. Leopold, who first married Princess Charlotte Augusta, the short-lived daughter of King George IV, later married Princess Louise-Marie of France.

More from Centuries of Style, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures, Gold Boxes and Silver

View All