Empire-style Silver-gilt Needle Case With Palmettes And Fluting, Hare Hallmark 1819-1838

A beautiful Empire period needle case in fine silver-gilt, elegantly shaped like a quiver, with subtly flared fluting, palmette ends, and rows of decorative billets. Hallmarked with a hare (1818-1839). A finely crafted piece of French silversmithing. Demonstrating the subtlety and precision of early 19th-century French silversmithing, the case has a quiver-like shape, slightly wider at the top than at the bottom. The sides are adorned with perfectly straight fluting that flares very slightly from bottom to top (10 mm at the bottom, 12 mm at the top), a subtle detail that demonstrates refined craftsmanship.
The palmette-shaped ends are separated from the fluted section by a row of billets.
The junction of the two halves of the case is also decorated with raised palmettes on either side, separated here as well by a row of billets.
The gilt is very fine, almost silvery to the naked eye. The gilt has dulled over time.
The silver hallmark with the hare (1819-1938) was applied later, probably very shortly after the fall of the Empire, but based on its stylistic characteristics, the case is much earlier, dating from the Empire period or the late Louis XVI period.

Length: 8 cm.

Good condition. The photos are an integral part of the description.