A tortoiseshell boîte à miniature with two-colour gold mounts, Claude Brisson, Paris, 1778

circular, later inset with a revolutionary homage in gouache on paper, by Claude-Jean-Baptiste Hoin, signed: C. Hoin Fec., circa 1793, with a paper label reading 'gouache signée de Hoin, représentant les attributs Republicains, placée sur un couvercle de la tabatière de B. Mouestier, Représentant du peuple à la Convention nationale, pour le département du puy de dôme, 1793', two-colour gold laurel borders, maker's mark, date letter, charge and discharge marks of J.B. Fouache

lid had been re-glued, pins loose and replacement pins.
"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."

Claude-Jean-Baptiste Hoin (1750-1817) was a French artist known primarily for his portraits and landscapes. He worked in pastels for his portrait miniatures, and in gouache and engraving for his landscapes. He studied with François Devosge and Jean-Baptiste Greuze. He was a member of the Academy of the Sciences and Literature of Dijon (1776) and an honorary associate of the Royal Academy of Painting of Toulouse. Even though he is not recorded as working for the Royal family, his works include a pair of pastel portraits which he signed as 'peintre de Monsieur, frère du roi ("painter of Monsieur, brother of the king").

The Convention nationale was a single-chamber assembly in France from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 during the French Revolution. Deputies to that convention should be elected by all Frenchmen twenty-five years old or more, domiciled for a year and living by the product of their labour. The National Convention was therefore the first French assembly elected by universal male suffrage, without distinctions of class.