Pierre Noël Violet: Superb 18th Century Miniature On Box In Martin Varnish, Tortoiseshell & Gold Metal

Magnificent large box with an exceptional miniature painted by Pierre-Noël Violet, dating from the reign of Louis XVI.

The box is round, in grooved green Martin varnish applied with white lines.
The box is enhanced with gold metal rims.
The interior is tortoiseshell.

The lid is decorated with a magnificent miniature painted by Pierre-Noël Violet. It represents a young woman of great facial beauty, her face slightly turned to her left. Her hair is styled in the fashion of the 1780s. Her light clothing reveals a charming breast.
The miniature is signed on the right “Violet 1783”.

Pierre-Noël Violet, born in 1749 and died in 1819, was a French miniaturist painter and engraver. He was a student of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. He was noticed at the Salon of 1785 and was a miniaturist painter to the King.
His works are kept in major national museums such as the Louvre or the Victoria & Albert Museum.

This miniature is superb in its realism and softness, of very high quality. The look is frank, the complexion velvety, the hair wavy, the breast delicious. A feast for the eyes.


Superb work typical of the reign of Louis XVI in Martin varnish, enhanced by the work of a very talented miniaturist painter. A masterpiece of miniature painting from the end of the Ancien Régime.


8.2 cm in diameter
3.2 cm high

4.2 x 3.6 cm at sight for the miniature alone.

Very good condition taking into account the fragility of the Martin varnish. Friction and some gaps in the varnish, oxidation on the rims, small gaps in the internal tortoiseshell rim.

Hand delivery in Paris or sending by insured Colissimo.

France: 15€
Europe: 20€
World: €35