A South Staffordshire enamel bonbonnière, circa 1765


Modelled in relief with an artist's palette, paintbrush, set square, dividers and a paper scroll picked out in colours against a grey ground, inscribed in red JE PEINDRAI VOS BAUTES, a delicately coloured garland of flowers around them, the hinged cover with a floral spray, 6.1cm wide
|This bonbonnière belongs to a group of South Staffordshire enamels characterised by a grey ground and soft pastel colours. Three related scent bottles from the Mort and Moira Lesser Collection were sold by Bonhams on 19 October 2011. A similar box and two other 'Trophy' boxes are illustrated by Susan Benjamin, English Enamel Boxes (1978), p.82.