A two-colour gold and enamel snuff box, probably French, late 19th century, in homage to Charles Le Bastier

of navette form, the lid inset with an earlier French enamel medallion of a fisherman and his wife by a lake, within a laurel wreath, on a vertical wavy engine-turned ground within white enamel and acanthus borders, the base and sides similarly decorated, the rim with gold laurel swags, Paris prestige marks including maker's mark of Charles Le Bastier, date letter for 1774-1775 and discharge of Julien Alaterre

restoration to white enamel borders overall, some light scratches to enamel but otherwise 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Recent research by Alexis Kugel has uncovered the activities of at least one late 19th century Paris gold box copyist, the silversmith Georges Boin, who so loved the 18th century that he was impelled to create his own pastiches in homage to the earlier masters. The distinctive style of Charles Le Bastier made his work easy for later admirers to imitate. Le Bastier was particularly fond of borders in opaque white enamel emphasised by chased gold looped swags, laurel garlands or rosettes as can be seen on examples in the Louvre (Serge Grandjean, Les tabatières du musée du Louvre, Paris, 1981, no. 142) and the Thurn & Taxis Collection (Lorenz Seelig, Golddosen des 18. Jahrhunderts aus dem Besitz der Fürsten von Thurn und Taxis, Munich, 2007, nos 17 & 18).