A Victorian gilt-bronze (ormolu) card tazza or vide-poche, featuring a pierced and finely cast scrolling acanthus-leaf plate raised on a tripod foliate base. The centre holds a hand-painted miniature beneath glass depicting the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, during the Great Exhibition of 1851, surrounded by figures in period attire.
England, mid-19th century, circa 1851.
The miniature central medallion depicts Sir Joseph Paxton’s landmark cast-iron and plate-glass Crystal Palace, built to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. Objects of this type were produced as commemorative Grand Tour and World’s Fair souvenirs, celebrating the architectural and industrial achievement of the first international exhibition.
Condition: Excellent.
Dimensions: Length 18 cm, Width 18 cm, Height 10 cm.
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