Incredibly Rare Italian Renaissance Ladies ‘Powder Box’ of straw or reed Marquetry laid on timber. The front of wonderful pen work depicting Diana and Callisto. After a famous painting by Titian (C 1556-59) Ladies of this time used a powder of white lead ore, arsenic, vinegar, hydroxide and carbonate laid over egg white. This gave them a silvery gleaming, seemingly healthy appearance. Little did they know it was actually a poison which would make them go mad and eventually kill them.
The box is in wonderful condition with only very small loss to the decoration on the back. A possibly small Italian village scene is similarly inlaid on the back as a medallion. The inside is painted in a red ochre with a gold pattern. The edge of the base has a superb ‘bombe’ shape. This wonderful rare survivor dates from 1660-1690 and measures 9cms diameter.
Incredibly Rare Italian Renaissance Ladies ‘Powder Box’ of straw or reed Marquetry laid on timber. The front of wonderful pen work depicting Diana and Callisto. After a famous painting by Titian (C 1556-59) Ladies of this time used a powder of white lead ore, arsenic, vinegar, hydroxide and carbonate laid over egg white. This gave them a silvery gleaming, seemingly healthy appearance. Little did they know it was actually a poison which would make them go mad and eventually kill them.
The box is in wonderful condition with only very small loss to the decoration on the back. A possibly small Italian village scene is similarly inlaid on the back as a medallion. The inside is painted in a red ochre with a gold pattern. The edge of the base has a superb ‘bombe’ shape. This wonderful rare survivor dates from 1660-1690 and measures 9cms diameter.
Image 1 of 5
Image 2 of 5
Image 3 of 5
Image 4 of 5
Image 5 of 5