EROTIC SECRET BOX IN CHINOISERIE STYLE, LATE 19TH CENTURY – EARLY 20TH CENTURY Europe, probably Paris, in the manner of Edmé Samson

Mark: monogram painted in underglaze blue beneath the base Oblong porcelain box with shaped contours, mounted in blackened patinated metal with a twisted-rope border, opening on a hinge with a push-button clasp decorated with a foliate motif. The exterior painted in polychrome enamels and gilt in trompe-l’œil, the lid depicting a seated figure by the water among reeds and palm trees, in an East Asian-inspired style, above a continuous border of orange scrolls and geometric spirals. The interior concealing an erotic scene painted in polychrome enamels on the underside of the lid, depicting a nude couple reclining on a green mat; the inner well bearing a calligraphic inscription in red imitating Asian characters. 5 x 7 cm