1820-1830 ca. Mother Of Pearl sewing casket with a painted view of Weilburg near Baden in Austria. Painting by Balthasar Wigand.

From The Curator: The mother-of-pearl industry in Vienna reached its apogee during the 1820s and 1830s, when numerous luxury items such as candle screens and desk sets were embellished with the iridescent material. Balthasar Wigand, responsible for the miniature on the lid of this box, specialized in views of the city and its surroundings, painted especially for use on small pieces of furniture and caskets. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org