Decorative ornament - France

Vanity pot of opaline glass and silver – 19th century.

Vanity pot or powder box in blue opaline glass, with a circular bulbous shape, resting on a white foot. Body hand-decorated with lotus flowers, fruits and vegetal scrolls in raised polychromed enamels, in shades of pink, white, blue and yellow.

Removable silver lid, richly worked in relief, with Neoclassical Rococo-inspired decoration of shells, volutes, floral motifs and a cartouche with monogram. Top handle in the form of a fantastical animal or stylized dragon.

Warranty mark apparently compatible with a boar’s head, used on small silver items. A square-diamond-shaped assay mark by the assay master, too worn to allow a secure attribution. The boar’s head is a French mark applied to small silver articles from 1838, generally associated with a minimum fineness near 800/1000. Thus, the piece will likely be French, datable to the second half of the 19th century, possibly between 1860 and 1890.

Likely origin: Portugal
Period: second half of the 19th century
Materials: opaline glass, polychrome enamels and silver
Dimensions: 11 × 8.5 cm
Silver lid weight: 60 g
Total weight: 195 g

Condition: In good condition. Signs of age and use. No structural fractures.