Perfume box. France, Napoleon III, ca. 1850-1870

Perfume box. France, Napoleon III, ca. 1850-1870.
Beveled and enameled Baccarat glass, with hand-painted decoration.
Measurements: 12 × 12 × 8.5 cm.

This delicate toilet object, representative of the refined French taste of the mid-19th century, embodies the elegance and sophistication typical of the bourgeois interiors of the Second Empire.

The chest, rectangular in shape with gently beveled edges, houses two matching perfume bottles, also worked in translucent glass and decorated with similar enameled motifs. Both the chest and the bottles are meticulously decorated with oval medallions alternating with hand-painted floral bouquets, arranged on side bands ornamented with floral festoons and gilded borders. The rich polychrome of the enamels (in shades of pink, blue, green and white) is combined with the gold fillets that frame the motifs, bringing a delicate and sumptuous glow to the whole.