French Bevelled-Glass Jewel Casket, Swing Handle, c.1890
A French beveled-glass jewel casket of the basket-handle form, in gilt brass and thick beveled glass, Napoleon III into the Belle Epoque, around 1880 to 1900.
It is built from six thick beveled glass panels set into a gilt-brass frame, with pierced sawtooth galleries running every edge and a beaded rope border to each face, standing on four cast rococo scroll feet and carrying a twisted barley-form swing handle over the top. The original silk display cushion sits in the base, and the hinged lid opens on a thumb clasp at the front. At 100 by 50 by 80mm it is larger than the small ring boxes usually found in this style, and the arched handle is a less common feature.
These caskets were a staple of the French fancy-goods trade, holding rings and small jewellery and often carried home as travel souvenirs. This is a plain-glass example, without a painted or place-named panel.
The gilding has worn to a warm copper on the high points, the feet and the handle, consistent with age and not polished. The glass is intact, with no cracks or chips. The bail handle shows old solder at its joints and the front clasp is slightly loose but still catches.
