Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 14

Grand Tour Bronze, Two-Tone Enamel & Pietra Dura Dressing Box or Humidor C. 1880

$1,516
$1,89520% Off
£1,164.69
£1,455.8620% Off
€1,338.21
€1,672.7620% Off
CA$2,132.44
CA$2,665.5520% Off
A$2,395.70
A$2,994.6320% Off
CHF 1,251.76
CHF 1,564.7020% Off
MX$29,240.67
MX$36,550.8420% Off
NOK 15,893.68
NOK 19,867.0920% Off
SEK 14,960.55
SEK 18,700.6820% Off
DKK 9,986.23
DKK 12,482.7920% Off

About the Item

This exceptional Grand Tour dressing box or humidor, crafted in France circa 1880, epitomizes the luxurious design and meticulous craftsmanship of the late 19th century. Constructed from bronze, the box is adorned with striking white and blue two-tone enamel detailing, lending a refined elegance to its exterior. Central to the lid is a finely crafted pietra dura floral plaque, featuring an intricate arrangement of inlaid semi-precious stones—a testament to the enduring influence of Italian artistry on French decorative arts of the period. The box is further enhanced by rope twist accents along the lid and base, adding texture and a sophisticated flourish to the overall design. Dual handles on the lid are both practical and decorative, reinforcing the box’s luxurious appeal. The interior opens to reveal a plush velvet lining, which retains its original gilding attributed to John Joseph Mechi, a renowned 19th-century craftsman known for his finely made boxes. The interior design suggests the box was originally intended to house perfume bottles, small liquor bottles, or perhaps serve as a humidor for cigars, highlighting its functional versatility while maintaining its status as an elegant decorative object. Measures: 7" w x 5.25" h.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 5.25 in (13.34 cm)Diameter: 7 in (17.78 cm)
  • Style:
    Grand Tour (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    C. 1880
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor wear commensurate with age and use. Surface is unpolished and does have some age wear.
  • Seller Location:
    Atlanta, GA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU7838243090172

More From This Seller

View All
Italian Grand Tour Style, Pietra Dura & Leather Humidor Or Vanity Box
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exceptional humidor or vanity box is a masterwork of craftsmanship, designed in the exquisite style of the Italian Grand Tour, a period of cultural exploration and refinement th...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Grand Tour Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Agate, Malachite, Onyx, Marble, Slate

Unusual 18th Century French Boulle & Brass Inlaid Snuff Box w/ Candleholder
Located in Atlanta, GA
This diminutive yet opulent 18th or 19th-century French snuff box exemplifies the Boulle-style, renowned for its intricate gilt and inlaid brass decoration against a tortoiseshell ba...
Category

Antique 18th Century French Napoleon III Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Brass

Antique Edward Souter Barnsley & Co. Sterling Silver & Tortoiseshell Powder Box
Located in Atlanta, GA
An 1894 antique Edward Souter Barnsley & Co. sterling silver and tortoiseshell powder box decorated with a silver laurel leaf and bow inset to...
Category

Antique 19th Century Decorative Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

Vintage Le Tallec Enamel Decorated & Gilt Porcelain Box Circa 1982 For Saks
Located in Atlanta, GA
This stunning vintage Le Tallec porcelain box, created circa 1982 exclusively for Saks Fifth Avenue, showcases Le Tallec's exceptional craftsmanship and refined design. The box is ri...
Category

Late 20th Century French Art Nouveau Decorative Boxes

Materials

Porcelain

Vintage Le Tallec Enamel Decorated & Gilt Porcelain Box Circa 1966
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exquisite vintage Le Tallec porcelain box, dating to circa 1966, features intricate hand-painted enamel decoration and lavish gilt accents. Crafted in the French Limoges traditi...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Decorative Boxes

Materials

Porcelain

Pair, Italian Tooled Leather & Pietra Dura "Cigar" Motif Tobacco Boxes
Located in Atlanta, GA
Italian, early to mid 20th century. A pair of leather boxes, each having tooled gilt leather to the border of a finely inlaid Pietra Dura top. The tops set with various semi-preciou...
Category

20th Century Italian Cigar Boxes and Humidors

Materials

Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Marble

You May Also Like

Small Victorian Gilt Metal Dresser or Ring Box with a Pietra Dura Plaque
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A superb small gilt Victorian dresser box with a Pietra Dura plaque to the top. It retains a (torn) note with a dedication dated 1876. Leng...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century Italian Belle Époque Decorative Boxes

Materials

Stone, Metal

Antique Grand Tour Micro Mosaic Jewelry Box by Cesare Roccheggiani, Rome c. 1875
By Cesare Roccheggiani
Located in London, GB
A highly attractive and rare floral Grand Tour micromosaic jewelry or trinket box made by Cesare Roccheggiani in Rome, Italy, c. 1875. This is a beautifully detailed micro-mosaic box. The panel in the lid depicts a lush bouquet of spring flowers, including roses, forget-me-nots, daffodils, buttercups and crocus, amongst others. These are described in brightly coloured stone micromosaic inlaid into a black surround, lending the piece wonderful contrast. The more common subjects for similar micro mosaic boxes are architectural views of Rome; floral examples such as this are much harder to find. The panel is mounted in a box gilded in 24 carat gold. Another distinctive feature is the granulated finish around the lid and to the underside of the box: it is most unusual and lends the piece a lovely texture. A hand-painted champlevé enamel frieze wraps around the central body of the gilt metal box, depicting scrolling turquoise vines blooming with red berries along with blue, green and yellow vine leaves. The interior is lined in the original silk and in very good original condition. The maker’s name ‘C. ROCCHEGGIANI ROMA’ is emblazoned in gold to the interior of the lid beneath the motif of a cross surmounted by a crown. The lining of both the lid and body are bordered with a ropetwist detail. The lid closes with hooked clasp, and the hinge is in good condition. Cesare Roccheggiani was one of the most successful mosaicists in the late 19th century in Rome. He probably worked in Michelangelo Barberi’s workshop, and was in all likelihood related to Lorenzo Roccheggiani, a late eighteenth-century master mosaicist at the Vatican whose work included the altarpiece, Crucifixion of St. Peter after Guido Reni, and Nicolo Roccheggiani who worked on the Achilles Shield tabletop commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, and later gifted to Charles X of France, now in the collection of the Louvre. Cesare Roccheggiani opened his premises on Via Condotti in Rome in 1874, and ran a production workshop including mosaicists, goldsmiths and other craftsmen. He was renowned as a source for fine quality Grand Tour mosaics...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Grand Tour Jewelry Boxes

Materials

Stone, Metal

An Exquisite Victorian Pietra Dura Grand Tour Campaign Collectors Box 1800's
Located in Reading, Berkshire
A Stunning Late Grand Tour Collectors Box 19th Century Mahogany & Ebony Pietra Dura Karlsbad, Germany. The Lid Is Decorated with Marble And Agate Geometric Motifs. With Continental ...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century German Late Victorian Decorative Boxes

Materials

Agate, Marble, Silver

Florentine 19th century Ebonized Fruitwood and Pietra Dura marble box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A most charming Florentine 19th century Ebonized Fruitwood and Pietra Dura marble box. This wonderful box is raised by four toupie shaped feet supporting the body of the box decorate...
Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Decorative Boxes

Materials

Marble

Continental Baroque Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Enamel Box Late 19th Century
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Continental Baroque style gilt bronze mounted enamel box, Late 19th century The square hinged top decorated overall with mythical figures. Measures: Height 3.5 in., 11.4cm (4 1/2"...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century Decorative Boxes

Materials

Enamel

A mid 19th century Italian grand tour Sorrento marquetry box circa 1860
Located in Central England, GB
A very fine Italian marquetry box dating to circa 1860 and made in the Sorrento region of Italy where local craftsmen were renowned for making ...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Grand Tour Decorative Boxes

Materials

Wood