

The present box is unusual in several ways. Firstly it combines different styles fashionable at the time, combining gothick ornament with the Egyptian decoration made popular after Napoleon's Egyptian expedition in 1799. The layered enamelling on the base, which must have been extraordinarily difficult to produce, is also rare to find. It is also interesting that the box was engraved in English with a charming dedication of friendship which matches the cosy domestic subject.