Bonbonnière with a miniature signed Judlin, late 18th century

Large round box in amboyna circled with brown tortoiseshell. The lid is decorated with a miniature on ivory depicting a dryad (nymph protector of trees and woods) dressed in antique style in a blue and white drape, crown of oak leaves on her natural curly hair, holding a sceptre with the coat of arms of France in her hand. Tortoiseshell interior. Early 19th century.
A few tiny chips to the shell at the base.
Dim: diam: 3.7 in / H 0.9 in.

André-Melchior KESSLER known as Alexis JUDLIN (Guebwiller, 1742) near Mulhouse,, worked in London as a painter of miniatures, oil portraits and subjects; he exhibited at the Royal Academy in London from 1773 to 1776. He received a pension from the King of England and is said to have worked at several European courts. At the time of the Revolution, he lived in Paris at 100 rue de Thionville and took part in the Salon of 1791 with a miniature portrait of a woman and in the Salon of 1793 with an oil portrait as well as allegorical miniatures. Elements of both English and French technique can be seen in his work. He painted the clothes in gouache and executed the backgrounds in watercolour with parallel brushstrokes. The shadows on the faces are reddish-brown. His miniatures can be found in museums (Rouen) and in major collections such as the Laeuffer collection in Paris.
Bibliography: Les peintres en miniatures, 1650-1850, Nathalie Lemoine Bouchard.