A late 17th century/early 18th century ivory, gold pique decorated box, carved with two amorini holding a shell in one hand, enclosing a flaming heart, and a trailing garland in the other, above two flaming hearts, within shell carved corners, the white metal mount with a lappet engraved top above a festoon carved rim, chipped corners, hairline crack to edge of lid, 8.3cm long x 6cm wide x 1.3cm deep Footnote: This box is decorated with motifs symbolic of love. The hearts are an obvious allusion, but the shell is also referencing Aphrodite, the godess of love, famously depicted in Boticelli's Venus (the Roman god of love) emerging from a shell. The sea and shells are strongly associated with this goddess, as the name derives from the Greek word aphros, which means foam, as in sea foam. Condition report: Top slightly warped. Hairline cracks on inner ivory rim around right side pin. Lacking two, 2cm sections of inner ivory rim of lid. Three corners of base chipped.