I've found a few other old French hand-painted souvenir boxes, but none anywhere close to as lovely as this one, made of beautiful olive wood, and with this charming bird on wispy branch painted on the lid, a red headed swallow I think? In the corner, in perfect cursive, is painted Epinal, a city in Northeastern France. The proportions of the box are terrific too, with these great rounded corners, plus a key hole on the front--though there is no longer a key, so it just remains unlocked.
The box, I'd guess dating to the 1940s or so, is in excellent condition (the wood is just gorgeous, and the painting perfectly preserved) but for a thin split in the wood on the bottom--visible only when opened or turned upside down, and no real matter unless storing sand or needles inside which might fall through! It measures 5 1/2" wide x 4 1/8" deep x 2 3/4" tall.
