Vintage Florentine Gilt-Wood Box, Italy

Found this sweet little box in an antique shop in the Cotswolds, and even though it's Italian, not English, I couldn't leave it behind. It's a small Florentine gilt-wood box from the mid 1900s, the kind of piece made in volume by Italian workshops for tourists visiting Florence and other Italian cities decades ago.

It features a printed Madonna and Child scene on the lid, likely taken from a Raphael composition, and raised gilded trim around the edges, little diamond and dot patterns pressed into plaster and gold leaf. This isn't hand carved fine art, it's a charming decorative keepsake with real age and a story to it.

A little worn in places, which just means somebody loved having it around. Perfect for a jewelry box, a trinket dish, or just a pretty little thing to set on a shelf.

Details:

• Vintage Florentine gilt-wood box
• Italy, mid 20th century, circa 1950s to 1970s
• Printed Madonna and Child scene on the lid
• Gilded gesso raised trim
• Dimensions: 4" x 3"
• Some wear consistent with age
• Found in the Cotswolds, England