Rare and Exquisite Louis XVI Dressing Case - 12¼"

A lovely petite French dressing case from the late 18th century, Louis XVI period. The small rectangular wooden casket is finished in warm ivory lacquer with engraved and parcel-gilt decoration. A scalloped gilt apron surrounds the base above three tiny front drawers, while the hinged lid opens to a cream-lacquered interior fitted with two blown glass scent bottles and stoppers, one red lacquered pot with its original lid, a second matching lid now without its pot, and a domed silk pincushion. Ribbon-tied trophies and rosettes decorate the front, sides, and lid in soft gilt. Condition is good and attractively timeworn, with scattered paint losses to the edges, light rubbing to the gilding, and fraying to the silk pincushion, and minor scuffs throughout consistent with age and use.

Rare to find with such complete fittings and delicate painted decoration intact, this late 18th century dressing case beautifully reflects the refined craftsmanship of the Louis XVI period. The engraved gilt trophies, laurel motifs, and softly timeworn lacquer evoke the elegance of intimate dressing rituals, while the fitted interior and tiny drawers showcase the remarkable attention to detail characteristic of fine decorative objects of the era. 

Perfect atop a dressing table or chest of drawers, it brings a cultivated note of 18th century sophistication to a bedroom, powder room, or layered interior vignette.