200 - Quadrille set, France, first half of the 18th century

Quadrille set, France, first half of the 18th century A quadrille set consisting of a rectangular wooden box covered with black paper textured to resemble shagreen and lined with blue silk on the inside. The interior contains four boxes and a notebook. The notebook, covered in blue silk, contains two ivory sheets (Elephantidae spp.), along with a pencil. The four boxes are made of ivory (Elephantidae spp.) colored green, yellow, red, and brown and engraved. The lids are inlaid with medallions of white mother-of-pearl, carved and engraved with figures. The interiors of the boxes feature rich, delicate engravings of landscapes animated by figures. Each cartouche is signed “Mariaval Le Jeune à Paris fecit.” Mariaval was a boxmaker active in Paris and Rouen during the first half of the 18th century. The underside is richly illustrated with an exotic-style design reminiscent of Indian motifs. These compartments hold rectangular or circular tokens, some made of colored and engraved ivory (Elephantidae spp.) and others of bone. The underside of the box bears fragments of an old merchant’s label reading “Auxerre Tabletier à Paris,” referring to the Parisian tabletier merchant Auxerre, whose shop was known as “Au Singe Vert,” who was active in the mid-18th century and whose workshop was taken over by Vaugeois in 1765. (Restoration, wear, stains) Height: 23 cm; Width: 17.5 cm; Weight: 1,018 g * Note (//): A CITES certificate will be issued to the purchaser, allowing for free movement within the EU. Expert: Georgina Letourmy-Bordier