This lovely little lacquered papier mache snuff box, with mother of pearl inlay at the center of the lid and for the buttons of the shoe, and a hinged lid, dates to the second half of the 19th century and I believe is most likely British, though possibly French. It's seen some use for sure--most curiously, the sole is worn in just the way a real shoe would be, as if it has been walking around for the past 150 years or so!
It still opens and closes with ease and one could store little things inside. There is a good amount of wear to the lacquer, which I have not touched, a couple of hairline cracks in the lacquer close to the hinges, and a couple of chips to the lacquer--one to the left of the rear hinge, the other to the interior of the box near the top edge. Still pretty great, though, and these old shoe-shaped snuff boxes are such wonderful, curious little objects I could never pass one by!
4 1/2" long x 1 1/4" wide x 1 1/2" tall.
