A Louis XIV ormolu-mounted, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, brass and pewter-inlaid Boulle marquetry casket circa 1700

decorated en première-partie, the hinged canted rectangular domed top with concave sides mounted with foliate-cast ormolu bands and opening to a finished rosewood interior, the outswept sides of the domed top decorated with brass rosette-studded lattice pattern against a tortoiseshell background with two sides centered by a roundel enclosing pairs of birds and fitted with acanthus-cast ormolu mounts at the corners, the sides of the base depicting putti in landscapes and fitted with foliate-cast ormolu mounts at the corners, raised on short foliate-cast ormolu feet; the underside with paper labels reading 2021 in blue crayon and ...n Palace, No...

Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton (1767-1852) and by descent to

William, 12th Duke of Hamilton, K.T., Hamilton Palace, Lanarkshire, sold Christie's London, July 20, 1882, probably lot 2186 (bought Baker for £105)
The Property of a European Collector, Christie's New York, Arts of France, October 21, 1997, lot 20

Gillian Wilson, Baroque and Régence, 2008, Los Angeles, p. 20

Mother of pearl and tortoiseshell inlay with small age cracks and small scattered areas of infill; not extensive. Ormolu with rubbing at edges and corners, traces of oxidation and surface dirt. Very minor losses to tortoiseshell. Minor lifting to mother-of-pearl; now stabilized. Slight losses to penwork of mother-of-pearl inaly. Rubbing to brass inlay. With later clear lacquer. In good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A number of boxes of this design and decoration were in the collection of the dukes of Hamilton. The 1882 sale lists lot 2184 as an "oblong-shaped casket, of black buhl, the top inlaid with a large subject of nymphs clipping Cupid's wings, in mother-of-pearl, engraved brass and white metal in trellis border, with birds and busts in medallions, cupids and landscapes at the sides, mounted with finely chased borders, feet, and foliage, ornaments of ormolu - 12 in. by 10 in." This box was subsequently in the collection of the Hon. Mrs Nelly Ionides and sold Sotheby's London, November 23, 1963, lot 1. Another box, lot 2185, in the Hamilton Palace sale was described as "the companion casket, with Venus attired by Cupids on the lid" and is almost certainly the box now in the J. Paul Getty Museum, illustrated Gillian Wilson, Baroque and Régence, 2008, Los Angeles, pp. 14-21. The third such casket in the sale was listed as lot 2186 and described "A smaller casket, with cupids – 7 ¾ in. by 5 ¾ in." This smaller box is most likely the lot offered here both because no other such caskets were included in the sale and because its measurements are almost identical to those of the present box. A casket, a pair to this lot, was sold Ader Picard Tajan, Paris, November 28, 1978 lot 149.