French First Standard Silver Oval Box with 'Leaf & Berry' Frame Lid

A finely crafted piece rendered in neoclassical French Empire style, this item serves a dual function.

It is firstly a 4 3/4" by 3 1/2" by 13/16" high, hinged, oval box. The hinge is on the short end, with a lip for opening on the opposite end.

It is made of 950 fine, i.e. first standard, silver (slightly higher than sterling) and marked with a "Minerva head" on the lid edge, underside of the cover, and on the lip of the base.

It also has a small, hard to discern, "caret" maker's mark in two of the above noted places as well as a "bigorne" counter stamp on the inside of the lower lip.

The cover is encircled by a raised leaf and berry design, which repeats in smaller scale around the bottom edge of the base. The lid is fitted with a rose colored velvet over cardboard liner with a removable silver underplate, which provides for the top to be used as a frame.

The silver weighs 6.33 T. oz., exclusive of non-silver content.

All silver surfaces, exterior and interior, are vermeil, meaning they are finished in a gold wash.

Likely dating from the late 19th or early in the 20th century, this is in very good condition. The base is flat; the two parts fit well together and the hinge is secure. There are no bends or breaks in the metal, noting some shallow dimples in the wall of the base. The gold is intact, with incidental fading in places resulting from polishing.