19th century French school Wooden, tortoiseshell... Lot 37

19th century French school Wooden, tortoiseshell and ivory box decorated with an erotic scene D. 8 cm, weight of lid: 34.9 gr AL-EJ Provenance: heirs of Félicie de Fauveau (1801-1886) Damage and missing parts CITES certificate n° FR2407503769-K Enclosed: Rome, 1877 Reverse Agnus Dei with figure of Madonna del Pilar Oval medallion in white wax Inscribed: "ECCE - AGN - DEI - QVI - TOL - PEC - MVN (Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi) / PIVS - IX / P - M - AN - XXXI / 1877". Provenance: Descendants of Félicie de Fauveau (1801-1886) Misses, accidents, medallion broken into three pieces This wooden box, decorated with an erotic scene, surprisingly contains an Agnus Dei. These devotional objects take the form of oval medallions, solemnly blessed and consecrated by the Pope since a bull issued by Paul II on March 21, 1470. Made from Paschal candles and Holy Chrism and then placed in metal molds, these medallions feature a Paschal lamb on one side and a religious scene on the other. In our case, the Agnus Dei is dated 1877, the 31st year of Pius IX's pontificate, accompanied by the Pope's coat of arms, and features on the reverse a Virgin of the Pillar, an iconography depicting the Virgin's appearance to the apostle Saint James and his disciples in Saragossa. This medallion, from the collection of the heirs of Félicie de Fauveau (1801-1886), may have been acquired by the famous sculptress during her exile in Florence.