Pair Of Art Nouveau Miniature Boxes With Enamel Plaques, France 1900

Pair of Art Nouveau miniature boxes with hand-painted enamel plaques, gold-plated bronze, France, circa 1900

Pair of small display boxes, rectangular in shape with wavy edges, made of gold-plated bronze. Each lid is adorned with a hand-painted polychrome enamel plaque of great finesse.

The first box depicts an elegant woman dressed as a butterfly, with wings, antennae, a bodice, and skirt adorned with hearts, black gloves, and ankle boots, set against a rural landscape. The second depicts a draped female nude at the water’s edge, with the inscription “Venus Emerging from the Bath” in capital letters beneath the scene. Both designs, rendered in pastel shades, are typical of French “galant” art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Characteristics

• Period: Art Nouveau, circa 1900
• Origin: France
• Materials: gold-plated bronze, painted enamel plaques
• Shape: rectangular, wavy edges
• Dimensions: L … cm x W … cm x H … cm (each box)
• Condition: very good condition