Offered by Ouaiss Antiquités
Brown tortoiseshell and gold dance card. It is accompanied with an intricately sculpted gold pencil that is topped with a turquoise stone. The interior is lined with silk. The corners of cover are decorated with sculpted gold ivy leaves that are joined together with flower comprised of turquoise and diamonds. In the center of the cover is an acrostic message written in precious stones: Sapphire, Opal, Uvite, Vesuvianite, Emerald Natrolite, Idrocase, Ruby, spelling the word, “Souvenir.” This acrostic fashion trend was created by the Nitot family, founders of the Maison Chaumet. This trend continued through the Restauration. The pages are probably more recent.
Height: 4.3 in
Length: 3 in
Gold mark: Tête de bélier (Ram head)
Master goldsmith: illegible mark on the pencil
French craftsmanship from the Restauration period (1830-1840)
Bibliography:
Bijoux des deux Empires : 1804-1870, Musée de Malmaison, Rueil-Malmaison, France, 2004.
Napoléon amoureux, bijoux de l'Empire, des aigles et du coeur, in the Musée Chaumet, Paris, 2004.