Bidspirit auction | A PAIR OF CONTINENTAL ENAMELED

A PAIR OF CONTINENTAL ENAMELED COPPER SNUFF BOXES, ENGLAND, 18 CENTURY - A charming pair of rectangular enameled copper boxes, each decorated with finely hand-painted polychrome scenes and floral motifs typical of mid-18th-century Continental enamel workshops (likely South German or Swiss). The larger box depicts an allegory of Mercury—shown with caduceus, books, putti, and a celestial globe—set before a landscape with ruins and a beehive, symbolizing industry, learning, and enlightenment. The sides are decorated with architectural landscape vignettes enclosed within gilt scrollwork. The interior lid features a finely painted half-length portrait of a young woman in a hat adorned with flowers, executed with delicate stippling and soft pastel tones. Original gilt-copper mounts. The smaller box is decorated with bright floral sprays on the lid and sides. The interior lid contains a finely executed miniature of a mother nursing her infant—an intimate domestic scene painted with exceptional detail and a characteristic stippled background. Gilt-copper mounts. Both boxes exhibit period craquelure consistent with 18th-century enamel firing techniques. Please make all inquiries before bidding. All lots are sold ”as-is”, refer to our T&C. Helios Auctions offers in-house shipping. In case we can not accommodate a shipping request, a list of additional shippers will be provided. Condition: Both boxes with typical age-related craquelure to enamel surfaces; scattered small losses and hairline cracks, especially to the interior lids; some wear and oxidation to gilt copper mounts. Hinges functional. Painting remains vivid and detailed. No evidence of later overpainting.