A Birmingham enamel bonbonniere, circa 1760

in the form of a goldfinch, the underside printed and painted with a fountain and some doves, with gilt-metal mounts

tip of the beak with minute loss to enamel, chip and crack at right top corner of lid as well as two minute chips to bottom. Slight wear on centre of base. Some chemical reaction to the paint on the wings, tail and right side which have made the texture irregular and bubbled. This looks like restoration but is not. very pretty.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The most colourful and elaborate English enamel snuffboxes and toys have traditionally been atttributed to the Battersea factory. Even if the factory played a fundamental role in the history of English enamels, its active period was too short (1753-1756) to have produced the large number of articles attributed. While the factory seems to have produced mainly small rectangular and oval snuffboxes with delicately painted landscapes, Birmingham factories developped enamelling techniques to create objects of various sizes and shapes, from animal shaped snuffboxes to tea canisters. Birmingham was indeed in the  1750s-1760s, a vibrant centre of industrial initiatives and a successful  centre of production, with 'at least 20,000 people employed in the Toy trade’ for an 'amount to about £600,000 per annum’. (Journal of the House of Commons, 20 March 1759, pp,. 496-7). English enamel toys as they were called were also the delight of foreign market, so that the French factory Samson made copies from the third quarter of the 19^th century onwards.