The Sèvres porcelain factory was established in the town bearing its name in 1738.  Sèvres was an innovative firm, first to use hard paste porcelain made from a mixture of kaolin feldspar and quartz that produced a beautiful thin and delicate body.  The glaze is often a translucent pale blue or soft pink and has a glossy finish.  Sèvres porcelain often features paintings of landscapes and flowers and is also decorated with silver and gold. This beautiful porcelain was highly sought after by royalty via commission and by the affluent as a status symbol.

 

This beautiful box was most likely used by a 19th-century woman as a jewelry box.  Women owned jewelry boxes for practical protection, sentimental storage, and as status symbols. The Victorian era made them popular as industrialization made jewelry more accessible. These beautifully crafted containers for heirlooms, tokens of love, and everyday trinkets, often featuring velvet linings and intricate designs, remain popular collector’s items.