St. Louis Spring Auction

This box shows well in natural light considering its age. The lid: There is visible craquelure across the painted surface of the lid. A surface scratch extends from the corner of Napoleon's hat to his left check, and another smaller visible surface scratch is just above this extending from the red buckle on his hat, outward. There are several small discolored spots of pigment appearing in the background on the left side, and when viewed under ultra violet light, it is clear that these areas indicate restoration/inpainting. Additional tiny scattered spots of restoration are also visible within the background, most notably in the upper left and along the upper edge. There is a line of inpainting along the lower edge. The face remains untouched. The bottom: the interior shows a crackled surface with deteriorating materials and a reddish brown dust. There are significant losses along the outside edge, just below where the lid rests. Underside also shows worn surface with craquelure. Additional photographs available upon request.