View full screen - View 1 of Lot 222. An Italian gold and tortoiseshell piqué casket, Naples, third quarter 18th century.

An Italian gold and tortoiseshell piqué casket, Naples, third quarter 18th century

Estimate

3,000 - 5,000 EUR

Lot Details

Description

the hinged lid enclosing a fitted green silk velvet-lined interior


14cm high, 21cm wide, 18cm deep; 5 1/2in, 8 1/4in., 7 1/8in.



Please note that this lot includes endangered species, which will require a CITES permit for export. Please refer to the Guide for Buyers at Auction and Conditions of Business for Buyers for additional information.

Please note that this lot contains restricted materials. Replica Shoes 's is not able to assist buyers with the shipment of any lots containing restricted materials into the U.S.A. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reserves the right to block any export or import to the United States. A buyer’s inability to export or import these lots, or a seizure by a government agency, cannot justify any delay in payment or the cancellation of the sale.

Christie's, London, 6 July 2006, lot 51.

Naples was the epicentre of the art of piqué, and many discussions of the art form quote Lady Miller’s 1777 description of the city as being “famous for a manufacture in tortoise-shell, which they inlay curiously with gold, and are very ingenious at representing any object you choose” (A. Miller, Letters from Italy, 1777, London, vol II, p.57).


An Italian casket with a similar decoration on its lid was sold at Replica Shoes 's, Milan, 25 September 2025, lot 90. An another similar casket attributed to Gennaro Sarao, circa 1745-1755, is illustrated in Alexis Kugel, Piqueé, 2018, cat. nr. 46.