Topic: Vanity Pot with Hinged Lid & Hand Painted Children

[SNJ]

This is a what I'd assume is a powder or trinket jar with a hinged lid, standing on brass (ormolu?) feet. It has a hand painted design of two children in 18th century dress with a spinning top inside scrolls and foliage. The exterior is off-white, almost like a blush ivory, which contrasts with the white interior. To me, the style suggests 1800s, French / Austrian / German. Could anyone care to make any suggestions, please? It stands a little over 8cm tall.

[tonyatl]

Even though the dress of the children is 18th C., the box is at earliest late 19th C and I am inclined to place my money on 20th C. Since the feet do not have gold coloring or patination, we would not describe them as ormolu - they appear to be brass. The style of the children looks more 20th C. to me. I would want to see them up close before committing to them being hand painted. They could be transfer printed with painted flourishes. The tint of the metal also suggests early to mid 20th C. As for country of origin, I feel American or perhaps British and would feel no shame to be proven otherwise. It is a pleasant box in very nice condition.

[SNJ]

Thanks for the reply! I guess that most of us want something - with the odd exception - to be older than it actually is, as may be the case with this piece. It's now back in a box in the shed waiting for the day that I (hopefully) find out more clues at to its origin, though I'm really not holding my breath...

[Lustrousstone]

I suggest perhaps Bohemian because of the yellow enamel under the gilding

[SNJ]

May well be, though I did find some Mount Washington pieces online the other day that do have a similarity so now I'm even more uncertain!

[Lustrousstone]

Mount Washington would be much less likely in the UK.