Hi Karl,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Small covered porcelain boxes—typically dresser boxes, trinket boxes, jewelry caskets, or bonbonnières—have long appealed to collectors because they combine fine craftsmanship with intimate scale and practical use. Ones of this size are large enough to showcase detailed decoration while remaining versatile decorative objects.

Capodimonte porcelain originated in Naples in 1743, when King Charles VII of Naples (later Charles III of Spain) established the Royal Capodimonte Porcelain Factory. Supported by his wife, Maria Amalia of Saxony, the factory sought to rival Europe’s finest porcelain makers. Renowned for its soft-paste porcelain, intricate sculptural figures, and richly decorated wares, Capodimonte blended Italian artistic traditions with technical innovation. Although the original factory closed in 1759, its influence shaped Italian porcelain production for generations.

Despite the closure of the original factory, the Capodimonte tradition continued, surviving several revivals in different factories and in the 19th century, there were several private Neapolitan workshops that produced porcelain marked with versions of the blue fleur-de-lis.

The blue 'Crowned N' mark is commonly confused with Capodimonte but in reality, it's the mark for the Real Fabbrica Ferdinandea, the royal porcelain factory established by King Ferdinand IV in 1771, after the original Royal Capodimonte factory had closed and which was in operation until 1806. Beginning in the late 1800s, many factories in and around Naples revived both the Capodimonte fleur-de-lis and the crowned N as honorary references to the city's royal porcelain heritage. Unlike the fleur-de-lis, the crowned N was often used on decorative porcelain intended for export.

The mark is crisp and uniform and consistent with transfer-printed or stamped mark (as opposed to a hand-painted 18th century underglaze mark), and the oval machine-finished foot is characteristic of later manufacture; these all align with a probable late 19th Century date of manufacture.

The Toilet of Venus is a classical artistic theme depicting the Roman goddess Venus attending to her beauty, often surrounded by Cupid, attendants, or the Three Graces. Popular from the Renaissance through the 19th century, it symbolized not only physical beauty but also love, fertility, elegance, and idealized femininity. Artists used the subject to explore the classical ideals of harmony and grace, making it a celebrated motif in painting, sculpture, porcelain, and decorative arts inspired by Greco-Roman mythology.

I've found other Capodimonte style boxes similar to this in size and decoration selling at auction for between $100 and $200.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

An antique Capodimonte style enamel decorated brass mounted porcelain covered box
late 19th Century
Of oval section, with brass mounted rim and hinged lid fixture, decorated on the top with the "Toilet of Venus" and sides with images of Classical mythological features, marked to the underside
Height: 5 inches, width: 10 inches; depth: 7-1/2 inches
CONDITION: this appears to be in good condition.
PROVENANCE: Inherited
$ 100-200*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia