Circular Box - Snuffbox, The Lion Of Florence, After Monsiau, Magnifying Glass, Early 19th Century

Elegant circular box or burl snuffbox, after the painting by Nicolas André Monsiau presented at the Salon of 1801, The Lion of Florence: Sublime Trait of Maternity of the Last Century arrived in Florence, preserved at the Louvre. The episode relates the escape of a large wild animal from the Grand Ducal menagerie of Florence. The lion, ready to devour an infant, is said to have released its prey under the pleas of the child's mother. The description, under the narration, reads "Sublime Trait of Maternity in the 17th Century". The lid is finely carved and engraved, the bottom of the box elegantly guilloché with a pattern of a scattering of small bubbles. There are some chips, one minimal on the upper part of the lid, the others on the circled tortoiseshell part that makes up the inside of the bottom, part of which is missing. A little play between the two elements. An object in a good general state of conservation, decorated with a rare and singular subject. First third of the 19th centuryDiameter: 8 cmHeight: 2 cm