Reflections of Beauty – Compacts as Works of Art

Noelle Soren

without permission from the author

Go directly to the compact/painting comparisons

Some artists whose works are seen in miniature on compacts in the collection:

Francesco Albani (1), Giovanni Bilivert (1), Allesandro Botticelli (3), François Boucher (13) , Amos Cassioli (1), Pierre Auguste Cot (1) , Jean Honoré Fragonard (1) , James Earl Fraser (1), Sir Thomas Gainsborough (1), Henry Holiday (1), Geralamo Induno (1), Jean- Auguste -Dominique Ingres (1), Angelica Kauffman (2), Nicolas Lancret (7), Jean-François Millet (1), Thomas Moran (1), Barolomé Esteban Murillo (4), Jean-Marc Nattier (2) , Maxfield Parrish (1), Baldassare Peruzzi (1), Piero di Cosimo (1), Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1), Ambrogio de Pretis (1), Guido Reni (1), Jacopo Comin (Tintoretto) (1), Tiziano Vecellio (3), Leonardo da Vinci (1), Jean-Antoine Watteau (2) , Guiseppe Zocchi (2), Unknown artist (Movie Poster for Ben Hur)

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There are many compacts that we might have in our collections that everyone would consider as works of art…Like this Bird-in Hand designed by Salvator Dali…

Or this repoussé chatelaine by noted French medal maker Emil Dropsy…

Or this Russian Imperial beauty from the workshop of Carl Fabergé…

Or this gold, diamond and sapphire vanity by Cartier, made for Jesse Donahue, the heir to the Woolworth fortune…

Or this minaudiére and matching compact by Judith Lieber…

But there is also a category of compacts made of up those which depict actual worksof art in miniature. Many of these are from the type known as Italy 800, courting couple or lovers compacts, ornately engraved silver or vermeil, often with matching lipsticks and combs. They depict pastoral scenes of lovers, shepherds or gods and goddesses cavorting in idealized or mythological countryside settings, often taken from paintings ofthe 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

I believe they were inspired by French snuff boxes of the 17th and 18th centuries like these (below) I recently saw at the Wallace Collection in London.

As an archaeologist, art historian and photographer, I work in Italy every summer, so I went in search of the families that made these compacts in Florence to learn about how and when they were made. I found the Bellinis, the Fallacis and the Gallettis and I learned a lot from them including:

• Except for a few made by the Fallaci family just before World War II, they were made from 1946 to about 1970 as a post-war industry by several Florentine families.

The site of the Fallaci family business today in Florence

• At first they were only made of silver and heavily engraved, but by the 1950s enamel scenes were added. Later gold plated brass compacts (not marked 800) were added to the mix.

• Almost none of these were sold in Italy, which was impoverished after the war. Instead they were made for export to the USA and large European cities and sold in luxury stores like Saks and Neiman Marcus. This could explain why so many of these show up in American estates. Later they became popular with tourists in Italy.

• In their last catalogue, in 1970, the Fallaci family was selling their nicest ones for about $77 US.

• Each phase of the manufacture (the casting, engraving, enameling, painting, mirror making and firing) was done by a different artisan, all of whom remain anonymous. Sometimes the matriarchs of the families did the actual drawing of the scenes and painting, but no one remembers the names of the other artisans today.

...................................A compact designed by Ugo Bellini .... A signed Fallaci probably painted by Ottavina Fallaci, the wife of ..........................................................................Alfredo, the founder of the business.

So, as a life-long lover of Italy and all things Italian, it was natural that I should be attracted to these compacts. And, as an art historian, it was inevitable that my curiosity would be aroused regarding the origins of the subjects depicted on them. Just for fun, I began researching these Italian compacts and others in my collection looking for the original works of art that the compact makers had copied. And I made some interesting discoveries.

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But first, a note about quality. There are four things I look for when I consider purchasing any scenic compact: Condition, rareness of the scene, the skill of the painter in capturing detail and nuance and the quality of the engraving. These are personal preferences of mine and may or may not be important to other collectors.

So which is the better choice for your compact investment? This, where the figures are clumsily done without shading or detail and the engraving is amateurish…

Or this where the shading of the skin and folds of the clothing are beautifully done within a skillfully done engraved frame…

This, where the figures are little more than cartoons in a scene that lacks even shadows to give them substance…

Or this, a much more faithful representation of the actual painting with skillfully done details, background and shading on the figures and their clothing…

This, where the figures, though skillfully done, are lifted from the actual work without the background of the original painting…

Or this, where the entire central part of the painting is skillfully reproduced…

This, where the scene is little more than an impression of the actual work, withlittle detail in the figures faces and lumps of color where actual drawing should be…

Or this, a faithful reproduction of the painting with great skill in showing the details…

To me quality makes all the difference.

Some works of art that inspired compact designs were easy to find

– like this representation on a fine Austrian compact of Sir Thomas Gainsborough’s Blue Boy , English portraitist (1770) ….

…or this representation by Mondaine of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa(La Gioconda or Portrait of Lisa Gherardini), Italian Renaissance (1503-1506)…

…or this, The Birth of Venus by Allesandro Botticelli, Italian Renaissance (1482-1486)…

But others were harder to find.

What follows will take just a few minutes for you to read but, in some cases, working with only the style and subjects depicted and without knowing the identity of the artist, it has taken me years to find the comparisons. Perhaps as collectors you will have some of these scenes in your collections. Some of you may have wondered about their origins, so I hope you will find this information useful… (in alphabetical order by artist)

Amorini Celebrating the Rape of Proserpina or The Cupids Dance, by Francesco Albani, Italian Baroque (ca. 1600). The story of Proserpina is a seasons myth. Kidnapped by Pluto, god of the underworld, she must spend half the year in the underworld and half on earth. Her return marks the beginning of Spring. In this case the copyist took the subject from the engraver who had taken the subject from the painter!

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife by Giovanni Bilivert (1620) Florentine Baroque. This painting was done for Cardinal Carlo di' Medici for the decoration of his Florentine residence. The subject is the Old Testament story of the chastity of Joseph, who, when sold into slavery by his brothers, is taken to Egypt where he is sold to Potiphar as a household slave. Potiphar makes Joseph the head of his household, but Potiphar's wife, angered when Joseph resists her attempts to seduce him, accuses him falsely of attempting to rape her. Potiphar casts Joseph into prison, where he comes to the notice of the Pharoah through his ability to interpret the dreams of other prisoners. Here Joseph is depicted resisting Potiphar's wife (who remains nameless).

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Primavera and The Three Graces by Allesandro Botticelli, Italian Renaissance (1482).In this case, just a portion of the painting Primavera was used for the Three Graces. (See above for the Birth of Venus comparison)

The Sleeping Shepherdess by François Boucher, French Rococo (ca. 1740) on a fine Austrian compact…

Another version of François Boucher's Sleeping Shepherdess (1740) on a jewelled beauty marked "Fallaci Firenze"...

Boucher was extremely popular with compact artists and they used many of his works like…

Bird Cage (ca. 1743)…

Bird Cage (ca. 1740).

Just a note about bird imagery – it is very common on these compacts and in the paintings of the 18^th century and this is no accident. In German, the slang for a man’s private parts was the same word as bird, so this symbolism carried a lot of meaning to those who saw these pictures. And who knows? Maybe that is the origin of our slang phrase of “flipping the bird”! A birdcage (where you keep your bird) was often seen as representing a young lady’s virtue – a closed door meant she was virtuous and an open door – well, maybe not so virtuous! This will bring a whole new dimension to your appreciation of these compacts, I’m sure! To continue with the works of Boucher used on compacts…

Shepherd Piping to a Shepherdess (ca. 1750)…

The Nest (1743) on a compact signed “Coppini”…

Rinaldo and Armida (a scene from Torquato Tassos’s opera, Gerusalemme liberata of 1711) (1734)...

Venus and Cupid (1754) This is an allegory of the Judgment of Paris, the event that started the Trojan War. It is recounted that Zeus held a banquet in celebration of the marriage of Peleus and Thetis (parents of Achilles). However, Eris, goddess of discord, was uninvited. Angered by this snub, Eris arrived at the celebration, where she threw a golden apple (the Apple of Discord) into the proceedings, upon which was the inscription καλλίστῃ ("for the fairest one"). Three goddesses claimed the apple: Hera, Athena and Aphrodite (Venus). They asked Zeus to judge which of them was fairest, and eventually Zeus, reluctant to favor any claim himself, declared that Paris, a Prince of Troy, would judge their cases. All three of the candidates appeared to Paris on Mount Ida , in the climactic moment that is the crux of the tale. After bathing in the spring of Ida, each attempted with her powers to bribe Paris; Hera offered to make him king of Europe and Asia. Athena offered wisdom and skill in war , and Aphrodite offered the love of the world's most beautiful woman. This was Helen of Sparta, wife of the Greek king Menelaus. Paris accepted Aphrodite's gift and awarded the apple to her, receiving Helen as well as the enmity of the Greeks and especially of Hera. The Greeks' expedition to retrieve Helen from Paris in Troy is the mythological basis of the Trojan War. So here Cupid toys with the Golden Apple “for the fairest” that Paris awarded to Venus.

Charms of the Country Life (1740)…

Are They Thinking About the Grape? (1747) This compact is especially lovely because of the sides decorated with swags and wreaths done in champlevé and blue enamel…

Interrupted Sleep (1750) on an example by Stratton…

The Four Seasons: Spring (1745) on this jeweled Italian beauty…

An Autumn Pastoral (1749)…

The Muse Clio (ca. 1758) Clio or Kleio is the Muse of history. Like all the Muses, she is a daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne. She is often represented with a parchment scroll or a set of tablets and a trumpet and is also known as the Proclaimer. The name is from the Greek root meaning "recount" or "make famous".

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Paolo e Francesca (1870) by Amos Cassioli, Pre-Raphaelite (1832–1891). Cassioli was a nineteenth-century Italian painter, born in Asciano in 1832. After studying at the Sienese Accademia di belle arti he studied in Rome . At the end of 1860 he established himself in Florence which, although he maintained his links with Siena , became his permanent home. Regarded as an excellent portraitist, Cassioli is also noted for his large-scale history paintings which include the Battaglia di Legnano (1860-1870, Florence , Galleria di arte moderna , Palazzo Pitti) and Il giuramento di Pontida (1884, Siena , Palazzo Pubblico ). Between 1884 and 1886 he executed frescoes in the Sala del Risorgimento of the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena depicting the battles of San Martino and Palestro. He was known also for paintings on classical subjects; many of these, following a 1991 bequest, are conserved in the Museo Cassioli of his native town Asciano. Amos Cassioli died in Florence in 1891.

In Dante's Inferno, Canto V, Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta are punished together in hell for their adultery: Francesca was married to Paolo's brother, Gianciotto ("Crippled John"). Francesca's shade tells Dante that her husband is destined for punishment in Caina--the infernal realm of familial betrayal named after Cain, who killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8)--for murdering her and Paolo. Francesca was the aunt of Guido Novello da Polenta, Dante's host in Ravenna during the last years of the poet's life (1318-21). She was married (c. 1275) for political reasons to Gianciotto of the powerful Malatesta family, rulers of Rimini . Dante may have actually met Paolo in Florence (where Paolo was capitano del popolo --a political role assigned to citizens of other cities--in 1282), not long before he and Francesca were killed by Gianciotto.
Although no version of Francesca's story is known to exist before Dante, Giovanni Boccaccio--a generation or two after Dante--provides a "historical" account of the events. Even if there is more fiction than fact in Boccaccio's account, it certainly helps explain Dante-character's emotional response to Francesca's story by presenting her in a sympathetic light. Francesca, according to Boccaccio, was blatantly tricked into marrying Gianciotto, who was disfigured and uncouth, when the handsome and elegant Paolo was sent in his brother's place to settle the nuptial contract. Angered at finding herself wed the following day to Gianciotto, Francesca made no attempt to restrain her affections for Paolo and the two in fact soon became lovers. Informed of this liaison, Gianciotto one day caught them together in Francesca's bedroom (unaware that Paolo got stuck in his attempt to escape down a ladder, she let Gianciotto in the room); when Gianciotto lunged at Paolo with a sword, Francesca stepped between the two men and was killed instead, much to the dismay of her husband, who then promptly finished off Paolo as well. Francesca and Paolo, Boccaccio concludes, were buried in a single tomb.

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Another artist, Pierre Auguste Cot, French Academic, painted Springtime (1873)and it became an iconic image of the day, appearing on everything from soap boxes to flour sacks. Here it is on a fine tango by F&B…

Le serment d’amour (Love Vow) by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, French Baroque (ca. 1765) is actually better known from the engraved copy by Jean Mathieu (ca. 1800) (below).

End of the Trail (1915) sculpture in plaster by James Earl Fraser on a silver Mayfair tango.This sculpture was produced for the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Though designed as a bronze piece,metal shortages due to WW I led to Fraser’s use of plaster with a bronze finish instead.

Dante and Beatrice by Henry Holiday, British Pre-Raphaelite (1883). Dante fell madly in love with Beatrice from afar in the style of courtly love of the day (13^th -14^th century Italy). He only saw her twice but never met her. This is a depiction of the second time he saw her on the streets of Florence. His passion led him to make her the guide to Paradise in his epic poem The Divine Comedy. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (also known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets and critics, founded in 1848 by Daniel Gabriel Rosetti, William Michael Rosetti, James Collison, John Everett Millais, Frederick George Stephens , Thomas Woolner and William Holman Hunt. The group's intention was to reform art by rejecting what they considered to be the mechanistic approach first adopted by the Mannerist artists who succeeded Raphael and Michelangelo . They believed that the Classical poses and elegant compositions of Raphael in particular had been a corrupting influence on the academic teaching of art. Hence the name "Pre-Raphaelite". They wanted to return to the abundant detail, intense colors, and complex compositions of Quattrocento Italian and Flemish art. They loved to paint Medieval and even Elizabethan subjects.

La Partita a Scacchi by Geralamo Induno (1881). Induno was an Italian painter of the mid-19th century and a patriot who fought in defense of his country against Austria and France and with Garibaldi for the independence of Italy...

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The Source by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, French Academic (1856)…

Cupid Bound by the Graces (Beauty, Charm, Joy) by Angelica Kauffman, Swiss Neo-Classicism (1770). Unlike many female artists of the period, Kauffman was very popular and wealthy in her time. She painted allegorical, mythological and historical subjects, as well as subjects from literature and portraits. They are mostly treated in the sentimental fashion of the 18th century. In the paintings of her early Roman period, drawing prevails over coloring, which shows her interest in the aesthetic ideas of neo-classicism. The works of Kauffman were widely known in Europe due to engravings by other artists.

Also probably by Kauffman, Apollo and the Muse Thalia, Muse of Poetry . I have attributed this to Kauffman for three reasons – Kauffman liked mythological subjects. Here, Apollo is the central figure holding his lyre. He is often depicted with the Muses, and here he is seen with one Muse suggesting that this picture is part of a series of at least eight others (to account for the nine Muses). This suggests that this picture is taken from a design on a set of something with multiple pieces, like porcelain, a common place to find designs by Kauffman. A look at her porcelain designs reveals that in any given design for a plate or saucer, for example, she most often has two or three figures surrounding a central tree to stabilize the design. This is what we see here, so I feel safe in attributing this to her.

Spring Bird Catchers by Nicholas Lancret, French Rococo (1738).

Nicholas Lancret was another painter whose work was loved by compact artists so we see reproductions of other works by Lancret like…

Mademoiselle Camargo Dancing (1730)… Marie-Anne de Camargo Cupis, known as La Camargo was a famous Belgian dancer of the 18^th century…

Innocence (1743)…Note that the lady is holding a tiny bird tethered by a string. In some compact versions of this picture, if the copyist does not have room for the tethered bird, he sometimes substitutes a bouquet of flowers.

Shepherd and Shepherdess (ca. 1743)…

The Music Lesson (1743) on a fine Austrian compact and an Evans Mayfair vanity bag…

Birdcage (ca. 1740) on a Stratton done to resemble an engraving…

The Gleaners by Jean François Millet, French Realism – Barbizon School (1857). The Barbizon school (circa 1830-1870) of painters is named after the village of Barbizon near Fontainbleau Forest, France where the artists gathered. The Barbizon painters were part of a movement towards realism in art which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. In 1824 the Salon de Paris exhibited works of John Constable. His rural scenes influenced some of the younger artists of the time, moving them to abandon formalism and to draw inspiration directly from nature. Natural scenes became the subjects of their paintings rather than mere backdrops to dramatic events. During the Revolutions of 1848 artists gathered at Barbizon to follow Constable's ideas, making nature the subject of their paintings. One of them, Jean-François Millet extended the idea from landscape to figures — peasant figures, scenes of peasant life, and work in the fields. In The Gleaners, Millet portrays three peasant women working at the harvest. There is no drama and no story told, merely three peasant women in a field.

Moonlight in Venice by Thomas Moran, American Romantic (1898). Moran was an American who painted this view of Venice many times at different seasons and times of day. This version was taken by the compact painter and compressed to fit this very small compact. The bell tower (campanile) in St. Mark's Square to the right has been moved to the left to appear much closer to Santa Maria della Salute than it actually is. As a result, the moon has been moved to a higher spot on the compact than it is in Moran's painting.

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Two Boys Eating a Tart by Barolomé Esteban Murillo, Spanish Baroque (1660). Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was a Spanish painter, one of the most important figures in Baroque painting in Spain. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children. These lively, realist portraits of flower girls, street urchins, and beggars constitute an extensive and appealing record of the everyday life of his times.

Also by Murillo, Boys Playing Dice (ca. 1675) on a compact signed “Bellini Florence”…

Also by Murillo, Grape and Melon Eaters (1645)…

Also by Murillo, The Little Fruit Sellers (ca. 1675)...

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Madame Adelaide by Jean-Marc Nattier, French Rococo portraitist (ca. 1740). Marie Adélaïde de France (1732-1800) was a French princess. She was the fourth daughter and sixth child of King Louis XV of France and his Queen Consort, Maria Leszczynska. As the daughter of the king, she was a Fille de France...

Also by Nattier, Henriette de Bourbon (ca. 1750). Louise Henriette de Bourbon-Conti, duchesse d'Orléans was a French princess, who by marriage was first the duchesse de Chartres (1743-1752) and later the duchesse d'Orléans (1752-1759)...

Dinky Bird by Maxfield Parrish, American Illustrator (an illustration from Poems of Childhood by Eugene Field) (1904) on a vanity by D.F. Briggs & Co…

Dance of Apollo and the Muses by Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian Renaissance (ca. 1500)…

The Head of Cleopatra (or Simoneta Vespucci) by Piero di Cosimo (Pietro di Lorenzo), Italian Renaissance (ca. 1489). Simoneta was the mistress of Lorenzo di Medici and the wife of a cousin of Amerigo Vespucci who gave his name to America…

Portrait of a Lady by Antonio del Pollaiuolo, Italian Renaissance (ca. 1457) on a vanity by Mondaine…

A portrait of a Lady (Beatrice d’Este) by Ambrogio de Pretis, Italian Renaissance (1495-1500).

De Pretis was a student of Leonardo da Vinci and his works are often attributed to his teacher.

Phoebus and the Hours Preceded by Aurora by Guido Reni, Italian Baroque (a fresco in the Rospigliosi Palace in Rome) (1614). This is a beautiful allegory -Aurora (Dawn) comes bringing with her the sun (the god Apollo) who in turn brings with him the Hours of the day.

Bacchus and Ariadne by Jacopo Comin (Tintoretto) (1577) Italian Renaissance, Venetian School. This painting is in the Ducal Palace of Venice and is from a set of four symbolizing the Venetian State and its government. The subject here is the final triumph of Ariandne, daughter of King Minos of Crete, who had been deserted by Theseus on the island of Naxos after helping him to kill the minotaur and escape from the labyrinth. Ariadne is saved by Bacchus (right) who is adorned with grape leaves as he offers her a wedding ring, and is crowned by Venus, the official priestess of love and marriage. To the Venetians, this scene symbolized the traditional ceremony of the Doge's marriage to the sea,with Ariadne as the symbol of Venice crowned with freedom.

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Venus Blindfolding Cupid by Tiziano Vecellio (Titian), Italian Renaissance (1565)…

Also by Titian, Sacred and Profane Love (1514) (Fleeting and Eternal Happiness). The painting was commissioned by Niccolò Aurelio, a secretary to the Venetian Council of Ten (so identified because his coat of arms appears on the sarcophagus or fountain in the centre of the image) to celebrate his marriage to a young widow, Laura Bagarotto. It depicts the bride dressed in white sitting beside Cupid and being assisted by Venus in person. The figure with the vase of jewels symbolizes "fleeting happiness on earth"; and the one bearing the burning flame of God's love symbolizes "eternal happiness in heaven". The title is the result of a late 18th-century interpretation of the painting, which gives a moralistic reading of the nude figure, whereas the artist intended this to be an exaltation of both earthly and heavenly love. In fact in the Neoplatonic philosophy that Titian and his circle believed in contemplating the beauty of the creation led to an awareness of the divine perfection of the order of the cosmos.

Also by Titian Daphnis and Chlöe (The Three Ages of Man) (1516) Italian Renaissance. This pastoral myth was recorded in the only known work of the 2nd century AD Greek novelist Longus. Some scholars feel it is of Sicilian origin. Daphnis and Chloe were two children exposed by their parents in the countryside of Lesbos - different sets of parents and different locations. They were both found by shepherds, grew up together, nourishing a mutual love which neither suspects. The development of their passion forms the chief interest. Chloe is carried off by a pirate, and ultimately regains her family. Rivals trouble Daphnis' peace of mind; but the two lovers are recognized by their parents, and return to a happy married life in the country. So this composition may represent a sort of narrative with the children to the right (with cupid) as they were when they were abandoned in the countryside, then to the left as they became in their youth. A century or so after it was painted some writers referred to its symbolism as representing the three ages of man - childhood, youth and old age which the three groups of figures show. It is interesting that in the original the old man in the background is contemplating either 2 or 4 skulls in different versions - some scholars feel these skulls may represent death of the two characters that would come after old age. They have been eliminated from this composition. The compact is signed "G. Laffi". This is probably Graziella Laffi, a noted artist of Florentine origin who eventually settled in Peru and became famous for her silver jewelry using native Peruvian motifs. She was related to 5 artisanal families of Florence in the fields of painting, sculpture, jewelry making and enamel work and her father was a professor of jewelry making and enamel work at the School of Fine Arts of the Porta Romana in Florence. She studied at that school in design and painting. In 1947 the family moved to Lima, Peru (possibly either to escape the poverty and Fascist memories of post-war Italy -or, conversely, maybe because they fled with other Fascisti before the wave of revenge that followed the supporters of Mussolini? This is pure speculation on my part, but a lot of Fascists fled to South America in those years.If anyone knows the history of Graziella Laffi please let me know the truth.) There her father opened a workshop, the Fabrica Laffi, in artistic silver in the Florentine style. This was both a place of manufacture and a show room and Graziella later added a small museum. She became interested in the local culture and began collecting and in the '90s she gave some of her collection of ceramics and fabrics to this museum in Rimini, Italy. She also became a maker of silver in the native styles of Peru. So I think this compact was either made just before the family left Florence or a little later in Peru. The Italian artisans worked mostly without enamel just after the war - plain silver and engraved - it could be pre-1947 but it is more likely to be around 1950.

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Guitarist and Four Figures Near a Statue by Jean-Antoine Watteau, French Rococo (ca. 1705)…

Also by Watteau, Girl with Music Manuscript Book (1726) on a fine F&B tango….

View of the Uffizi by Giuseppe Zocchi, Italian Baroque (1744)…

Possibly also by Zocchi is this lovely compact marked "Fallaci Firenze" with a view of a river, a bridge and a castle with a woman washing clothes in the river and other figures on or near the bridge. It is similar in style to this painting by Zocchi called Villa Castelletti...

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Poster for the Movie Ben Hur by an unknown (1925).This compact is unmarked and was probably sold or given away as a promotion at the opening night or at theatres where the movie was shown.

I still have several compacts that I am sure depict works of art, though I have not been able to find them. Can you help me identify them?

A few of these are:

A shepherd/shepherdess scene, probably Rococo, maybe Lancret or Boucher…

Always a popular story, Romeo and Juliet was a famous opera by Charles Gounod in the 19th century. The painting this copies probably dates from that time, perhaps by a Pre-Raphaelite artist…

This is certainly a portrait of a well-known lady by an 18th century painter – but who? Possibly Marie Antoinette? Or the notorius Duchess of Devonshire...by Gainsborough? Joshua Reynolds?...

This surely represents Dido and Aeneas at Carthage from the 19th century opera by Henry Purcell, a popular subject but who was the painter?...

This is a representation of Venice in the 18th century that I believe comes from a painting – but which one?...and by whom?...

So, many things remain to be discovered and appreciated… What a wonderful hobby!!! If anyone can help me discover the inspirations for these mystery compacts please email me at noellesoren@gmail.com .

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