Description
This oval box displays Rococo gold work in scrolls and floral motifs. On the cover is a scene of Venus asking Vulcan for weapons for Aeneas, which is signed by François Joseph Bourgoin, a noted enamelist who worked for King Louis XV during the 1760s. Decorating metal boxes in enamel paint is extremely difficult as after firing the enamel and the metal cool and change shape at different rates. In addition colored enamels change color on being heated, and must be applied in the correct order, so the artist needed a high degree of technical knowledge to achieve the desired finish.
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