Presenting a most beautiful antique French or German miniature shadow box/ diorama featuring delicate porcelain ballerina figurines with Dresden porcelain paper lace tutus.
This hand crafted folk art box is bounded with decorative marbled paper, cardboard, and glass panes.
The Construction Method
This is a paper-bound glass box. The edges and corners are sealed together using paper or cloth tape wrapped with a decorative, gilded border (the marbled/gold trim you see around the edges). The back and base are likely stiff cardboard or thin wood covered in a decorative paper.
Believed to date to about 1920, this painstakingly hand crafted folk art item measures 9\" wide x 3\" deep x 6\" tall. The central ballerina measures just over 3 1/2\" tall.
As you note, the condition remains quite good, especially due to this item\'s fragility. As well shown, (3) pieces of mirrored glass have detached from the wall and (2) lay upon the floor, while (#3) is lodged into the Victorian paper lace valentine \"mirror frame\" top border edge.
Blessedly, as you note, no damage has been done to any of the impossibly delicate paper lace dresses, or any other aspects of this piece! Quite Amazingly!!
The quite pleasing, slightly asymmetrical, nature of the missing panels, whereby only portions of the ballerinas\' bodies are reflected, I find to have an odd, accidental beauty, feng shui sensibility.
As this mixture of the delicate & immaculate nature of the ballerinas, in this otherwise slightly imperfect setting, has that Japanese Wabi-Sabi sensibility, ie: the perfection of imperfection.... If you know what I mean.
Otherwise, you note the marbled paper edge imperfections, which provide no structural integrity to the glued together glass..
I have gazed upon it for some time now and have quite come to love the mood & feeling imparted by this piece.. Think Edgar Degas \"The Dance Class\" meets at the Ash Can Ballet School.. if you know what I mean?!?
Anyway, \"AI\" says better not attempt to repair this yourself, if you are not a Professional, so I\'m not opening the back of it..
My packing skills tho, are top notch and what I will do is double box this piece floating the inner box in layers & layers of soft paper towel..
And boldly write on the box top \"THIS END UP\", \"EXCEEDINGLY FRAGILE GLASS ARTWORK\" \"RARE VICTORIAN GLASS DIORAMA\" etc etc etc.. about 6 times.. and it should get there to you in excellent shape!!
So, yes, I am aware we Really Don\'t Want those glass pieces to clank around & damage those delicate lace tutus!!
And, by my care, I nearly Always Succeed with packing challenges, such as this!!
$50 s/h.. Best of Luck!
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