Gold étui With Engraved And Chased Decoration, Bearing A Heraldic Seal

France, Paris, circa 1770 – Weight: 70 g
Magnificent cylindrical étui in two sections, crafted in high-carat gold (total weight 70 grams), lavishly decorated in the Neoclassical style with chased and engraved ornament. The surface is arranged in vertical panels framed by raised laurel leaf garlands, alternating with smooth panels centred with small rosettes. The connecting bands are embellished with fine lanceolate leaf and interlaced motifs.
The domed lid features a laurel frieze on a textured ground, centred by a raised floral element. The opposite end incorporates a heraldic seal with a crowned coat of arms, of remarkable execution and detail.
Inside the rim appears a French 18th-century gold hallmark, identifiable as a Parisian poinçon de charge used between 1768 and 1774, during the tenure of Julien Alaterre as contrôleur général. This mark certified the payment of the gold tax and confirms both origin and date.
Intended to hold personal or writing instruments, the piece combined utility with prestige, serving as a genuine status symbol of the French aristocracy on the eve of the Revolution.