Doccia Triple Spice Box Dish

This is a fantastic amazing little triple spice box dish with its cover most likely made made by Doccia / Ginori and definitely in the 18th century. The piece is made of soft paste porcelain in two parts - the bottom is made up of three compartments sitting on three claw feet with a central cylinder into which a smaller cylinder of the upper part fits. The upper part also consists of three parts that fit perfectly over the bottom compartments to cover them but can be rotated by means of a metal pin to open up. The box is decorated with a relief design of flowers highlighted in bright colors. The main flower in puce (possibly a thistle which was popular back then) with smaller red, blue and yellow flowers and green foliage. The central knob on the lid might be a cauliflower or something along those lines. The colors just pop much more so than the pictures show and it scream Italian to me because they loved these colors and no other maker really ever came close. I first thought maybe early Bow but that doesn't fit. The box is in superb condition with two glaze crack to the udnerside of one lid compartment and a meaningly hairline on the cylinder part of one compartment on the bottom as shown. There used to be tiny puce flowers all along the sides of the bottom compartments but they are mostly worn away from years of use. The metal pin is oxidized but that is to be expected. Two of the claw feet have had work done to them but it was done perfectly and a firing imperfection was painted over with a green leaf on the underside base as shown. The base is completely glazed. It displays perfectly and works perfectly as well which is amazing. The translucency is very nice as shown and the glaze has some very very fine crazing or bubbling to it mostly on the udnerside or where the glaze has pooled a bit. This is a very rare form which was made by the early French makers like St. Cloud and Rouen - a faience maker but I also found one made by Meissen and a Chinese Export piece but it is a very rare shape to find and only very few have survived. I cannot find another one like it. The piece is not marked which is fairly normal for early porcelain by many makers. It is 2.875 inches tall (including the knobin the center) and 5.375 inches wide. One of the most fun pieces I ahve ever come across or owned! Please email me for more information or other pictures.