19th Century French Silvered Bronze Casket with Hunt Animals Signed A. Cain

$2,900

About

Decorate a shelf or a lady’s bathroom counter with this exquisite jewelry case box. Crafted in France circa 1880 and oblong in shape, the bronze casket stands on openwork plant form bracket feet, and is dressed with tree branch form side handles. The box features hunt motifs, including a pheasant on the top, a front medallion with three rabbits, a back medallion with partridges, and vine decor with grapes and leaves throughout. The hinged lid opens and reveals an inside upholstered with a rouge velvet. The jewelry case is signed by French sculptor A. Cain on the base of the bird. The casket is in excellent condition commensurate with age and use, and adorns a rich silvered over bronze patinated finish. Key included. Listed in the Benezit. Auguste Nicholas Caïn (1821-1894) was a noted French sculptor in the Animaliers school, known for his portrayals of wild and domesticated animals. Caïn was born in Paris, and studied under Rude, Guionnet, and Pierre-Jules Mêne (whose daughter he married in 1852). His first exhibit in the Salon of 1846 was a wax model of a linnet defending her nest from a rat, later cast in bronze and shown at the 1855 Salon. Between 1846 and 1888, Caïn exhibited 38 models at the Salon. From 1868 onward, he concentrated on monuments, including the “Chiens de Meute” at the Château de Chantilly, “Le Lion de Nubie et sa Proie” in the Jardin du Luxembourg, and Tigress and Peacock in the Gardens of the Tuileries. In 1879 he assumed management of his father-in-law’s foundry upon Mêne’s death. Henri Caïn, a well known librettist, and Georges Cain, the painter, were his sons. 10″W x 5″D x 8″H

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