Ovoid Box with Lid

Other Notes:

This small lidded box was possibly intended for a lady’s dressing-table. Its ovoid shape is complemented by the three spherical feet and identical lid-handle. The gold and silver wire ornament is divided into four distinct areas divided by three horizontal bands of black iron. A beaded border surrounds the lip of the base where it accepts the lid. The execution of the wire designs and the designs themselves are all within the norms established by Plácido: palmettes and other foliation worked in heavy wire with no incised lines. Although well executed and quite intricate, the treatment of these familiar elements does not match Plácido’s and cannot be confused with his work. It would be instructive to know the identity of the followers of Plácido’s style, but these smaller works for the commercial market are consistently unsigned.