Antique French Nevers Faience Book Form Hand Warmer/Snuff

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This charming antique French Nevers faience hand warmer/snuff bottle or secouette/perfume in book form dates from the late 19th or … Read more This charming antique French Nevers faience hand warmer/snuff bottle or secouette/perfume in book form dates from the late 19th or early 20th century. Hand painted with two finely detailed poetic scenes in the Nevers Italianate style, this rare piece pays homage to the writings of Francois Rabelais, France's first great prose author. Painted on the book spine is Breviary of Rabelais while the sides feature birds, cherubs, mountainous landscapes, and mythic symbols in rich dark blue, yellow, and blood red glazes.

The French writing on the front cover translates as "My goose does everything" and on the back cover as "When the bird sings my love ends . . . I'll never go back". Rabelais was known for his use of humor and contrasting the solemn & religious with the irreverent & absurd.

In very good condition for faience of this age with a 0.25" chip on the base of the book spine, and unknown repairs made to the book corners (repairs identified under black light - see photo). There are also a few areas of glaze crawling and glaze pinholes originating from production.

Dimensions: 4 1/8" tall x 3" wide x 1" deep. See less