Veilleuse

This is a rare veilleuse or food warmer made by Hoechst during their very early years in the mid 18th century. It is handpainted superbly with two puce scenes including children or little people ( dwarves ?) with a ruin in the background and some gold scroll highlights. Lots of tiny puce bugs and puce and gold scrollwork around the two openings. Superb mascarone type handles which have openings in them for the heat to escape when it was lid and had the pot on top of it. Two greeen handles on the sides. The face elvish handles are my favorite - they are super detailed and painted to perfection. The piece can be displayed perfectly but has some issues - a star crack in the bottom which is stable, a chip to the inner footring mostly but the worst is a gaint piece missing on the left side of one of the openings with a hairline going up and another long one going to the side. I will have that fixed one of these days as the piece is just too good to not have that done! The piece is 5.25 inches tall and 5.5 inches in diameter. It is marked underneath with the overglaze red wheel mark from the frist few years of production. Please email me for more information or other pictures.