Silver mounted guilloché enamel Exhibition folder

This beautiful item comprises a hard-shell folder and a fitted case. The folder is formed of a hard cover, wrought from orange-yellow guilloché enamel. The centre of this enamel cover is mounted with an oval enamel plaque painted with a Rococo-style portrayal of figures courting within a garden setting, executed in pastel shades of blue, pink, and green. This painted plaque is encompassed by an elaborate silver frame formed from scrolling arabesques and putti, among other motifs. The four corners of the guilloché enamel cover are set with similar silver mounts, and the entire cover is edged with a machined silver border. The folder itself opens to reveal a multi-compartment, accordion-type file made from silk, which is closable by a clasp and embossed with ‘LETTRES REPONDUES’.

The cover for the folder is finished with a fine purple velvet. The interior of the case, finished in silk, is inscribed ‘EXPOSITION DE 1855 / MÉDAILLE IE. CLASSE / T. & P. / PARIS / 8844’.

Case: Height 6cm, width 38cm, depth 29cm
Folder: Height 2cm, width 32cm, depth 21.5cm