Gold Snuff Box with Portrait of Napoleon by Jean-Baptiste Isabey '1767–1855'

Our wonderful snuff box features a finely carved agate relief depicting Bacchus and Cupid, scrolling foliate motifs and roundels against a matte ground, and cover with blue enamel bo...

Our late Regency period strongbox features gilt neoclassical mounts including lion masks and rosettes at the sides, Roman Tuscan style columns at the front corners, figurative panel ...

Our charming and rare cellaret in the form of a mosque is crafted from fruitwood and brass. It has a center dome and four smaller domes each decorated with brass crescent moons, each removeable to reveal compartments below to accommodate up to five bottles. The mosque form of the box makes it very unusual and rare for a wine casket.

Our very large portrait of Jean Bonnardel (1899-1952), Countess Madeleine de Montgomery, by Federico Armando Beltran Masses (1885-1949) measures 77 3/8 ...

Our gold damascened Renaissance Revival jewelry chest by Antonio Cortelazzo (1819-1903) was commissioned by the English lawyer and antiquarian, Sir William Drake (1817-1890) and exhibited by the artist at the 1872 International Exhibition in London. It features a pair of dragons supporting the arms of Drake plus repoussé trophies and gold-ground scrollwork, raised on scroll and mask feet.  The lid is signed CORTELAZZO VICENZA FECIT 1870. With original descriptions written in ink on paper. The first reads "Steel Casket damascened gold and ornamented with 4 plaques of repousse work by Cortelazzo of Vincenza. Coll: Sir W R Drake S.L.A." where the initials refer to the Society of Antiquaries of London. The second similarly reads "Casket of Steel damascened with gold and ornamented with four plaques of silver repousse work. By Cortelazzo of Vincenza. Lent by Sir William Drake." Exhibition: International Exhibition of 1872, London. Provenance: The Collection of Sir William Drake, F.S.A., Christie's, London, June 30, 1891, lot 602, 33 GBP. The Collection of M.F. Adie Esq., purchased circa 1950 from H.W. Keil Ltd, Broadway, Worcestershire, England. Literature: The Official Catalogue, Fine Arts Department London, International Exhibition of 1872, London, J.M. Johnson & Sons, Victoria and Albert Museum. (See images here in our listing.) The Art Journal, London, 1872, p 2. Nineteenth Century Silver, J. Culme, London, 1977, p 17. The Layards, Cortelazzo and Castellani: New Information from the Diaries of Lady Layard, Jewellery Studies I, J. Rudoe, 1983, p 86. A Renaissance-Revival Masterpiece by Antonio Cortelazzo, B. Shifman, Cleveland Studies in the History of Art, vol 8, p 103. In 1872 The Art Journal Catalogue wrote "Among the art gems of the present exhibition are to be found the productions from the hand of Antonio Cortelazzo of Vicenza, now as well known in England for his skill as a metalworker as he is appreciated among his fellow workers in his native italy by whom he is recognized as Facile Princeps in the art. In the mechanical skill with which he inlays metal upon metal he has his rivals; but in the combination of that process with purity of design and artistic fancy of ornament which distinguishes all his works, he stands unrivalled. The 'Coffre' is in intarsia of gold and silver (partly flat and in other parts relief) on steel. It is one of numerous specimens of Cortelazzo's work which are to be found in the collection of Sir William Drake, one of the principal English patrons of the artist whose genius is now fully appreciated. Drake was a wealthy lawyer and collector of contemporary as well as renaissance and baroque works of art. A client of the connoisseur and dealer William Blundell Spence, Sir William acquired works by leading artists of the period including the Florentine sculptor and wood carver, Luigi Frullini (1839-1897), English art potters, the Martin brothers, and the celebrated goldsmith and damascener, Placido Zuloaga...

Our rare, 18th century ceremonial casket in the form of a Venetian gondola is expertly carved from walnut with gilt cartouches depicting figures and s...

Luna box by Jean-Baptiste Van den Heede Signed, Limited edition Dimensions: L 22 x W 20 x H 6 cm Materials: Birch, oak and elm plywood LUNA is an author design with elegant cur...

An exquisite miniature of French philosopher Charles Montesquieu graces the lid of this tortoiseshell-lined snuff box. The handsome portrait was fash...

Round gold snuff box Round snuff box in 18k gold, the lid chiseled with a romantic scene on a balustrade background, in the woods landscape, the inside of the lid decorated with a m...

This charming snuff box is crafted of beautifully lustrous mother-of-pearl inlay and gold. Diminutive works of intricate artistry, snuff boxes were once considered the height of fash...

This special and important Swiss gold music box is chased and engraved with a set of musical instruments surrounded by elaborate swirls of ornate foliage. Embossed with a delightful braided gold design, the two-compartment box features an exquisite oval agate key, which opens a recessed lock in the base of the box. Such a box would have been a prized possession and would have been able to fit neatly into a gentleman’s waistcoat pocket. Ingenious miniature portable devices, musical snuff boxes...

German gold & porcelain snuff box Maker's Mark F(-) Crowned, Hanau Circa 1780, - Struck with the Hanau Town Mark for 18k Gold and a mark resembling the P...