ANTIQUE BRASS VESTA WITH RARE ENAMEL PICARESQUE SCENE, FRANCE, 1890-1900
Presented here, an antique brass vesta depicting a rare French picaresque enamel scene. At the bottom of the scene, there is the following French sentence: "M'est avis que c'est des boulets" which means "In my opinion, they are coal briquettes" or "To my mind, they are coal balls" in clear reference to what is needed to kindle a "fire"—which takes on special significance given that the scene is depicted on a Vesta.
On the reverse side of the frontal cover, there is other enamel scene simply showing what appears to be the continuation of the landscape in which the characters find themselves.
The right side of the case itself is fluted in order to help stricking the match.
Please refer to the pictures, they speak by themselves.
WEIGHT: 31.60 gramsMEASURES: 35 X 48mm
ESTIMATED AGE: 1890-1900, France
GENERAL CONDITION: Very good general condition, the main figures in the scene show no cracks or enamel loss, please refer to the pictures.