ANTIQUE 18thC SWISS GOLD, ENAMEL & SEED PEARL AIDE MEMOIRE "SOUVENIR" BOX c.1790

Antique late 18th Century Swiss gold, enamel, and seed pearl aide mémoire box, crafted in a tapering rectangular form with canted edges. The cover features a central translucent dark blue enamel panel, vivid in colour and decorated in gilt with the word “SOUVENIR” framed by laurel and berry paillons, bordered with colourful enamel and rows of split seed pearls.

The sides are painted in enamel with finely detailed scenes of Venus, one accompanied by Cupid, the other by a river, set against a translucent blue ground and enclosed within matching decorative borders. Undoubtedly made in Switzerland by one of the finest goldsmiths and enamelers of the period, the box bears hallmarks that, while present, now indistinct.

Reference Number: A00143