Jewellery box - Turtle

Exclusive French Tortoiseshell Nécessaire Box with Ivory Mechanical Pencil – Antique
Description: For sale: an exceptionally elegant and rare French ladies’ box (Coffret de Travail / Nécessaire) from the Napoléon III period (circa 1860-1880).
A beautiful collectible for enthusiasts of high-end antiques and historical French decorative arts.
Material & Exterior: The exterior is fully finished with ultrathin and bone-hard authentic tortoiseshell (karetschildpad). The tortoiseshell veneer has a splendid, warm depth. The box sits on richly decorated brass feet and is equipped with finely wrought brass fittings and corner pieces in the typical, lavish Napoléon III style.
Interior & Unique Accessory: The inside is lined with the original, capitonné light-blue satin lining, which still looks particularly neat given its age.
In the lid there is still a very rare and original accessory: a mechanical ivory pencil (porte-mine). The ivory sleeve can be unscrewed to insert a pencil lead. This kind of fragile writing instrument has almost always been lost over the centuries, which makes the presence of this one extra unique.

The box can be carefully packaged and shipped by registered mail/insured.