'St. Paul's' High Relief Vinaigrette, 1843

This is a large & rare castle top vinaigrette with a scene of St Paul's Cathedral in high relief to the cover. This good sized vinaigrette is of the very highest quality and the scene is in fabulous condition. The underside of the box is beautifully engraved with floral scrolls around script initials to the centre. The interior is gilt and the hinge grill is expertly pierced and engraved with floral scrolls and flower heads. Fine condition throughout.

St Paul's Cathedral sits on the highest point of the City of London and the present building is reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral. The fourth St. Paul’s was burned down during the Great Fire of London in 1666. The present building is built of Portland Stone and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The first stone was laid in 1677 and the cathedral was completed in 1708. The St Paul's Cathedral is one of London's most visited sights and is home to the tombs of some of Britain’s most famous people: Nelson, Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill, Florence Nightingale and JMW Turner. It was also used for the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

The scene depicted on the card case shows the Great West Door and the Great Dome to the centre.