Needle Case (Etui à Aiguilles)

The material of cases like these delineated the status of the holder. More expensive materials such as ivory, tortoiseshell, or silver were reserved for wealthier users while more common cases were made of lacquered papier-mâché or wood. This wooden case is decorated with vernis martin, a domestic varnish imitating East Asian true lacquer. The sinuous lines, floral garlands, and putti, personifications of love in the form of winged infants, exemplify typical rococo imagery.