Offered by Ouaiss Antiquités
An agate snuffbox with a gold openwork frame, the centre of which is decorated with two putti standing on an architectural element enhanced by a shell and flanked on either side by flowering horns of plenty. The two loves play with garlands of foliage falling from an amphora, surrounded by rocaille arabesques. Very fine dendritic agate. Louis XV period.
Austrian hallmark of AV import.
Marked with two eagle heads
Provenance: Armand HEINE Collection and descendants (1818-1883)
Dendritic agate is a semi-precious stone that belongs to the broad category of agates. These include various minerals such as Jasper and Carnelian. Variations in the chemical composition of these different stones give them different colours. The term ‘dendritic’ comes from the Greek ‘dendron’, meaning ‘tree’, in reference to the shape of the patterns that adorn Dendritic Agate.
Dim: W 2.55 in / D 1.96 in / H 1.57 in.
