Rare Painted Sheet Metal Tray – “caroline And Lindorf” – Monogrammed

An elegant painted sheet-metal tray from the first half of the 19th century, decorated with a romantic scene inspired by the novel *Caroline de Litchfield* by the 18th-century writer Isabelle de Montolieu. The composition, depicting Caroline and Lindorf in a rural setting, is highlighted by a central oval medallion framed by a delicate gilded border, set against a deep brown background embellished with ornamental motifs. The tray bears the inscription “Caroline and Lindorf” as well as the artist’s monogram. A beautiful decorative object reflecting the Romantic taste and the 19th-century fascination with literary scenes.

Oval in shape, this tray features a broad dark brown background, embellished with a peripheral frieze of plant motifs and gilded scrollwork. In the center, a painted medallion depicts a scene in which a young woman wearing a white dress meets an elegant gentleman, accompanied by a horse, in an interior that opens onto a wooded landscape.

This scene is taken from the novel *Caroline de Litchfield*, published in 1786 by Isabelle de Montolieu (1751–1832), a French-speaking Swiss novelist and translator whose works enjoyed great success in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The inscription “Caroline and Lindorf,” along with the artist’s monogram, identifies the literary subject depicted and lends this piece additional documentary value.

The delicacy of the central miniature, the contrast between the dark background and the gilded highlights, as well as the elegance of the composition, make this tray a refined example of the decorative arts of the Romantic period.

Period: first half of the 19th century
Material: Painted sheet metal

Subject: Caroline and Lindorf, based on *Caroline de Litchfield* by Isabelle de Montolieu
Inscription: “Caroline and Lindorf” and the artist’s monogram

Dimensions: 4.5 cm x 77 cm x 62 cm

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