Opaline " Bulle De Savon" Casket Mounted Bronze d'Or,period Of The First Empire

A jewellery box in a curved rectangular shape, made of translucent opaline with iridescent ‘soap bubble’ effects. The body and lid feature moulded relief decoration, alternating between twisted gadroons on the sides and a diamond-point motif on the top. It rests on a raised base of chiselled and gilded bronze, with two openwork side legs joined by a baluster-shaped crossbar. The upper section is accentuated by friezes of pearls and gadrooned foliage motifs, centred on a lock plate adorned with foliage within a laurel wreath.
Empire period.
Dimensions: 10 x 11 x 9 cm.
A slight crack on one side.

This exquisite jewellery box, shaped like a domed trunk, bears witness to the extraordinary enthusiasm of high society during the First Empire and the Restoration for opaline objects, then known as ‘coloured crystals’. The piece is distinguished by the quality of its translucent opaline crystal with magical iridescent reflections, poetically described as ‘soap bubbles’ – a technical speciality perfectly mastered at the time by prestigious French manufacturers such as the crystal works of Vonêche and Le Creusot, or the early days of Baccarat and Saint-Louis. The relief moulding, alternating twisted ribs with an upper surface featuring diamond-pointed patterns, beautifully catches the light and highlights the material’s pearlescent sheen. The chiselled and gilded bronze frame draws on the architectural and decorative motifs of the period: a lock plate in the shape of a laurel wreath, beaded friezes and a raised, openwork base, connected by a slender baluster-style strut. This type of high-end casket, designed for refined interiors, served as a display case on dressing tables to house the jewellery and secrets of the elegant ladies of the early nineteenth century.