Beautiful Rare Chinese Carved Louis XVI French Billet Doux Love Letter Holder

  

BEAUTIFUL RARE CHINESE CARVED LOUIS XVI FRENCH BILLET DOUX - LOVE LETTER HOLDER. This is a beautiful rare and very special Georgian 18th Century finely carved and crafted Louis XVI Billet Doux- Love letter Holder, this wonderful rare example i believe to be crafted in China for the French court of the 18th Century, I estimate this dates to circa 1770 making it over 245 years old, This Chinese Carved French billet doux is of such beauty and elegance, the carving is breath taking from the many figures which are within the most beautifully detailed landscape, this carved decoration runs around the entire body of the Billet Doux so much work has gone into the crafting of this extremely rare 18th century Billet Doux - Love letter holder , its breath taking, it must certainly have carried the love letters of someone from among the Courtiers of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI's era or shortly thereafter.

A very romantic item, the billet doux was the etui into which a rolled scroll of a love letter might be passed along or hand delivered by one's servant. A courier's'envelope' of sorts, these became so associated with the intimate love notes carried within, that today the term is itself a romantic one. This elegant Billet Doux is superb, both in form and in condition with only a very slight chip on the lid at the top (see photo).

To the inside of the top it has either numbers or lettering, its hard to make out. The quality of the craftsmanship is superb.

These came in a myriad of forms, many survive and we see them in museums around the world. This one could well be on display in the Musee des Arts Decoratif in the Louvre in Paris, where many similar etui fascinate visitors every day.

The Billet Doux is 6.5 inches in length, sometimes is confused as being a needles case, though of course it is not. The Billet Doux, Literally a sweet note, it is the term for a love letter, essentially and often rolled and sent by courier inside a beautiful tube like the one on offer here for sale, the tube is itself known as a billet doux for this reason, used in many centuries. This would have once belonged to a very wealthy French Lady of Court and been used I would say on many occasion to carry love letters, this was many many years ago when times were so very different, if this could talk I can just imagine what fascinating stories it could tell, this is so very tactile and once held it has the most wonderful feel. This will add something very special to any collection, my photos don't do it justice.

It is in wonderful condition for it's age. You will not find another like this on the market, it is very special and extremely rare. Very small amount of damage to the lid, please see photos. All Antique silver items will show some signs of wear, which only adds to the history of the object..... The item "BEAUTIFUL RARE CHINESE CARVED LOUIS XVI FRENCH BILLET DOUX LOVE LETTER HOLDER" is in sale since Thursday, July 4, 2019.

This item is in the category "Antiques\Other Antiques". The seller is "vintage_silver_treasures" and is located in Lancaster. This item can be shipped worldwide.