Austrian Silver Gilt and Hand-Painted Enamel Vanity Compact Box, 1900

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A polychrome enamel plaque across the upper lid depicts a romantic pastoral scene of two lovers resting beside a stream … Read more A polychrome enamel plaque across the upper lid depicts a romantic pastoral scene of two lovers resting beside a stream beneath the boughs of a mature tree. Rendered in soft watercolour-like tones of sky blue, blush rose, and earth brown, the composition captures the young man offering flowers while a wide-brimmed straw hat rests in the foreground. The panel is secured within an integral reeded and raised border that protects the edges from everyday handling. The rectangular casing is executed in silver gilt, displaying fine diamond-cut and guilloché engine turning across the exterior surfaces. This dense textured pattern catches natural illumination evenly across the base, sides, and lid frame, contrasting against the smooth relief thumbpiece fitted along the front rim. Measuring 7.1 cm wide by 4.5 cm deep, the slim rectangular case was designed to slip neatly into an evening purse or vanity reticule. Lifting the lid reveals a richly gilded interior arranged for multi-functional cosmetic application. The underside of the top cover retains its fitted glass dressing mirror framed within an incised geometric border. The lower section accommodates a deep, recessed circular powder well flanked on one side by a shallow trough with a pivoting tubular holder, designed for a lipstick or cosmetic pencil, and on the opposite side by a dedicated compartment secured beneath its own engine-turned hinged cover. Crafted in Austria around 1900, the piece demonstrates the exacting standards of Viennese luxury metalworking from the turn of the century. Official Austrian assay stamps are cleanly impressed upon the interior tubular ring to guarantee the silver purity. Five-piece barrel hinges run flush along the rear spine, keeping both the main lid and interior cover in stable alignment while closing firmly with a tight friction fit. See less