Antique Porcelain & Fine Arts

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Superb Scenic Enamel Box

This is a really superb box made in England - probably in the Bilston area of South Staffordshire region but also possibly in Birmingham or even London - in the 18th century. They are all famous for their Battersea enamel boxes, etc. This is the nicest one I have ever come across and it has silver mounts and two scenes on the inside - it must have been a very special and high end piece back in its day! Not a shape I can find either so it's not something one can easily find again. It's probably a snuff or patch box with a nice shape to it with the top being painted with a very high quality scene of a get together of four men and one woman at a table. One gentleman is playing the violin with another one as well as the lady reading and what looks to be a Rabbi wearing a yarmulke on his head. In the background there is a display cabinet with some goodies in it, a purple curtain to one side and a blue one to the other. Fancy table cloth over the table. Like I said one of the nicest scenes I ahve come across on one of these boxes. The rest of the outside box has Baroque or Rococo floral scrolls and decorations hand painted all around on a brownish ground color with the udneside having a larger flower design on a pink ground - quite stunning and not a usual design. On tops of the box looking superb from the outside the inside has two scenes to it as well which is not something you see often. Both the lid and the bottom inside have a ruin type scene to it as shown. Both of very good quality! The box is insuperb good condition with jsut some very minor nibbles and one line to the outside, three tiny white spots to the top and one area on the inside where the enamel has been damaged but that is not visible unless you look for it. The mounts are silver and marked but I don't know much about the marks and can only make out the center one which is the letter WL in an oval. Possibly for WIlliam Law but not sure about that at all. The lid closes nicely and stays shut. All in all an amazing example! The box is 1.125 inches tall, 3.375 inches wide and 2 inches deep. If anyone has some information on this piece a quick email would be very welcome! Please email me for more information or other pictures.

Price is $1249
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