Bilston Battersea Box w/ Replacement Lid

This is a really interesting enamel on copper box made in England - probably in the South Staffordshire region - in the late 18th century. Probably in the Bilston area or possibly Birmingham or even London but definitely English from the 1700s. They are famous for their Battersea enamel wares. This here is a true snuff box / tabatiere / pill box and it is a really interesting piece! A nice compact example one could actually use. The box is nicely decorated on all four sides of the main body with little hand painted floral designs on white ground surrounded by a raised gold trim with the rest of the sides having a nice cobalt blue ground color to them with more riased gold leaf and floral designs over that. The bottom has been left white with a simple gold design in the center. What makes it very unusual (I have never seen this before!) is the lid replacement. Obviously it was badly dmaged early on and replaced with a natural replacement one should not promote these days. I have seen stone replacements and all sorts of things but enver this material! It is superbly carved with a scene of a bowl filled with fruit sitting on a mantel with a fancy cloth under it and flanked by a bird on either side. Probably a marriage sort of thing. The detail is top! Obviously quite old and thus one is allowed to sell this size but I will not list it on Ebay or promote it in any other way. Mostly bought it because it was so unusual. The lid is in great shape with a small crack to the left side as shown. The box has a damaged corner as shown and is quite worn on the underside plus a small crack to the floral panel on the right side. Still a truly fantastic piec e that displays superbly! The lid closes nicely and stays shut. The box is 1 inch tall,2.375 inches wide and 1.875 inches deep. Please email me for more information or other pictures.