An exceptionally fine example of the mid-1800s Grand Tour souvenir pietra dura mosaic items of Rome and Florence. The subtle shading of the old marble having been cut specifically for the look of leaves, petals, and with 5 pristine mosaic panels on this one, a gorgeous work of art. The shaded and colored marble and semi-precious stones used in these fine old mosaic items from Italy are perfectly worked in this one. We have no signature on it, but surely the work of one of the Master mosaicists of that era. These are Italian items, sometimes the box is made in France and set with the mosaic work from Italy. We know that because many of these old ones had French maker names engraved on the lock plate such as Tahan, Vervelle, Giroux. They were luxury goods purveyors of highest regard in Paris, mid-1800s and often imported the finest goods from other countries to augment their own cabinetry works in their boutiques.
Very good to excellent condition throughout, with a nod only to the inner lid's missing silk satin covered interior liner. That can be very easily replaced. All yo need is to find a corresponding color of silk satin, then carefully cut a cardboard oval the right size for interior fitting, cover it with a light pad of cotton batt, then with the crimson silk fabric. If I had the right color on hand, I'd do it. Will see about finding some and will annotate the listing if we do get it done. The rest of the interior lining is in very fine condition, silk velvet and satin, no stains and no odors. The metal used on the casket here in this listing is a bright gold finish alloy, does not seem to tarnish. All 5 of those marble mosaic (pietra dura) plaques are in excellent condition, no chips or cracks, no loss or hairlines. Beautifully preserved. The casket is a good sized one at 6" x 4.5" oval, and is 3" tall when closed. Hinge and clasp intact, fine.
About Us
Antiques & Uncommon Treasure
From antique French sterling silver, Georgian - Victorian jewelry, Limoges or Sevres or fine porcelain, enamels, tortoise shell boxes, etui, necessaire; portrait miniatures, fine European paintings & tapestries, or Hermes to Rolex and uncommon & thrilling items of museum quality. Visit us often. The array and inventory change often in our dynamic shop.
In 1998 we made the move from high profile stores in Beverly Hills, CA and Dallas, TX, to an entirely internet based operation. With physical offices in both Utah and California, but no storefronts any longer, we want to thank our great customers for helping us have the courage to operate entirely online.
We have over 8000 very positive feedback notations to help you learn who we are and what our customers think of the way we do business.
Recently, we launched our own website with an attractive and easy to navigate style. Easy to find us with a QUICK SEARCH of our BUSINESS NAME.
We're looking forward to getting acquainted with you and to helping you complete (or add to) your 'want' list. It's our job to tempt you mercilessly, and to treat you so well you'll just love to come back to shop again. We appreciate our great customers! Thanks for making our 'work' so much fun!
Our Service Pledge We have a great reputation we've worked hard to attain, and which we do all we can to keep & improve. Please expect response from us within 24 hours, (normally far less). Rarely, both of us travel together, and that may necessitate a slightly longer response time.
You are very important! Our fine inventory is very important. And your ranking of our performance is also very important! We wish to keep our 4.9 - 5 star ratings in all categories. Customer satisfaction is paramount with us, so if you're thinking we have not deserved your highest marks, please contact us and allow us to be sure your concerns are completely satisfied before you rank us. We aim for 5-star transactions every day, and depend upon you to tell us directly if we have not yet met that standard for your transaction. Thank you!
We most often use USPS for our shipping needs but will be happy to ship by another carrier if you prefer.
We charge only actual postage & insurance, never a handling fee and never for packaging materials. Ebay is now requiring that our clients rank us on "shipping". The shipping price, speed and handling are actually under the sole control of the delivering postal agency, not Antiques & Uncommon Treasure so please remember that and leave us high DSR rankings. As always, please also feel free to contact us if you have any problems or concerns, we'll do what we can to ensure a happy and mutually enjoyable transaction.
Insurance has been eliminated as an option by ebay, forcing us sellers to either ship your items without insurance or assume that expense also. We always insure our items BUT, more importantly, pack them extremely well knowing that most are not replaceable. Again, damage in transit, while rare in our experience, is due to the postal agency handling and not caused by Antiques & Uncommon Treasure. Please remember that when leaving DSR ratings. Thanks!
Our shipping days are usually Monday and Friday though we do our best to ship within one to two days once paid. Otherwise, paid items will be shipped on the first shipping day after payment is received (except when special circumstances exist). We prefer to use USPS whenever possible, and require all packages to be insured. If you prefer another method of shipment, please mention it. We charge only actual expense of shipment/insurance, except in the case of larger items which must have special wood crates built. Wood crate charge, when applicable, is a flat $35.00 in addition to actual postage & insurance charges.
Other Information:
Sales tax is now calculated by eBay based on your particular location. If you are within CA and are a dealer buying for resale, you must provide eBay with your active resale certificate # and acknowledgment of intent to resell. No exceptions.
Auction Payment Methods:
Paypal: E-Check, Visa, Mastercard, etc.. All payment options are listed upon checkout.
Return Policy:
We always honor a 3-day return on our items, and guarantee them to be as described. Money back, less shipping costs, which are not refundable, so ask questions if necessary. Our listing images are always large and clear and portray the items we sell as accurately as possible. With that in mind, we're easy to deal with and want you to be overly happy with your purchase from us.
We hope you will love your purchase, however if you need to return it, we have a 60 day return policy.
We hope you will love your purchase, however if you need to return it, we have a 60 day return policy.
We hope you will love your purchase, however if you need to return it, we have a 60 day return policy.
We hope you will love your purchase, however if you need to return it, we have a 60 day return policy.
We hope you will love your purchase, however if you need to return it, we have a 60 day return policy.
