of rectangular shape made entirely of tortoiseshell (hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, Cheloniidae); hinged lid embellished with a painted miniature depicting The Tuileries Palace, a former royal palace that stood in Paris, France, on the right bank of the Seine, until 1871, when it was destroyed by fire and demolished. The Palace was the residence in Paris for all the monarchs of France from Henry IV to Louis Philippe, including Napoleon I and Napoleon III. It was also the seat of government for the first French republic and the consulate. Its role as the official seat of power in France was only interrupted by its destruction by arson on 23 May 1871, set by the Communards Jules-Henri-Marius Bergeret, Victor Bénot and Étienne Boudin. The ruins of the Tuileries Palace were demolished in 1883.
Miniature signed lower left F Lebelle 1811.
Item condition grading : **** good, except for a crack present on the inside of the lid.