A jewelled gold Royal presentation snuff box, Alexandre Raoul Morel, Paris, 1838-1842

rectangular, the lid applied with the cipher of Ferdinand-Philippe d'Orleans (1810-1842) in rose-cut diamonds on a sablé ground, within formal flower and ornament strapwork on a matted ground, the sides and base with patterned engine-turned panels within similar strapwork borders, in original red leather case with gilt cipher, stamped Bapst Frères/ Joailliers de SAR / Mgr le Duc d'Orléans

box does not currently close properly due to repairs to hinge.
"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."

Prince Ferdinand Philippe of Orléans (3 September 1810 – 13 July 1842) was the eldest son of King Louis Philippe I. Born in exile in Sicily, he became Prince Royal and subsequently Duke of Orléans when his father ascended to the throne in 1830. At only five years old, he spoke fluent French, German and some Latin. His education was then continued at the college Henri IV, where he made friends with the writer Alfred de Musset. After a trip to Great Britain, he joined the army where he proved his courage - he threw himself amidst the projectiles - as well as his devotion to improving the living conditions and moraleof the troops. His popularity and prestige were further increased when he managed to repress the Canut revolts in Lyon without violence and he visited the worst cases of cholera in 1831 in the Hotel-Dieu. He was then considered as the only prince capable of reconciling modern France's democratic aspirations with the heritage of its monarchical past.
A talented draughtsman, Ferdinand Philippe was also an art and literature collector, spending a large part of his civil allowance on art purchases or cultural patronage. In his apartment in the Palais des Tuileries he gathered medieval and Renaissance objects, as well as the works of modern painters such as Ferdinand-Victor-Eugène Delacroix or landscape painters of the Barbizon school or Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres from whom he comissioned a portrait. He was happily married to Helene Luise Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (known as Hélène, 1814–1858), with whom he had two children Prince Philippe, Count of Paris (1838–1894), the Prince Royal, and Prince Robert, Duke of Chartres (1840–1910). In 1842, however, returning to bid farewell to his family before going on an army operation, he lost control of his carriage, broke his skull on the pavement and died at the tender age of 32.  Alfred de Musset evoked the dramatic incident in his poem Le Treize Juillet.

The origin of Bapst Frères, the celebrated silversmiths and jewellers who supplied this box, can be traced back to Georges Frederic Strass (1700-1770), silversmith and jeweller to the King.  When Strass retired in 1752, his son-in-law Georges-Michel Bapst took over, and the firm was then continued by Bapst's son and grandsons. Between 1815 and 1820, the grandsons Constant and Charles Bapst, newly appointed jewellers to the Crown, were in charge of adapting Napoleon’s jewels and creating new designs for Louis XVIII. They then designed the coronation jewels and sword for Charles X. The firm later designed various parures for Empress Eugenie and received medals during the Universal Exhibition of 1855 and 1867. Germain Bapst became a partner of another celebrated jeweller, Lucien Falize, while Jules and Paul Bapst opened another shop in the rue du Faubourg St Honoré called ‘J. et P. Bapst et fils.’