Louis XVI casket on stand   -    12th scale unpainted
 
A little bit about this item:
This magnificent Louis XVI style ormolu casket sits on four tapered, fluted legs connected by a curving X-form stretcher. In the centre of this stretcher is an urn decorated with rams heads. The apron is inset with plaques surmounted with laurel leaf mounts. The casket itself is of oval architectural form, and is set on small feet. It features further plaques including a central oval portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette within a crowned gilt cartouche. The casket opens at the lid. In the original there was  an inscription below the portrait of Marie Antoinette which spuriously read ‘This casket formerly property of Marie Antoinette, presented to my beloved wife as souvenir of our European tour / Sept 8th 1886 / Louis L. Smith’
 
This is a magnifent piece. An obvious show stopper placed in any 12th scale room and is fabulous enough to have as a stand alone miniature to observe. Maybe it could be the basis of a small scene displayed on its own. 
I have some images of the original in this listing. It is the gilt  one!
The casket is huge (as you would expect from a box that covers the entire table top) but if this is too large for you then I will be creating a listing for an reduced size casket for anyone wishing to show off a smaller number of jewels!
At the time of writing this I am working on a set of images for the inserts that will take the form of prints or decals. Some will not be as seen on the casket. I know that some miniaturists will take on the challenge to paint the panels themselves (any 12th scale painted artistry has to be award winning based on the tiniest size of brushes (or should I say hairs!) required. 
The whole design can be kept as intended or the table and casket can be used seperately and seperated. 
Due to the nature of the design the table is made of resin and metal and the casket resin. 
 
If you are planning on gilding the design then please sand and prime all the parts making sure not to  clog the placement of the lid to the casket. Assemble before painting. 
The caskets original interior was Velvet and I think lining the interior would be wonderful - a nice little suprise to anyone opening it. 
 
If you wish to buy the original it will cost you an eye watering £280,000 - that is why we make miniatures!!! We can all afford to own one!
 
Measurements: 
Table
Height  7.6cm tall
Length of table   9.3cm 
Depth 6cm
 
Casket Large
Height 5cm (the casket is split into a lid and base both being 2.5cm tall)
Length 7.8cm 
Depth 4cm
 
Casket Small
Height 2.7cm
Length 4.4cm
Depth 2.2cm
 
NOTES
As with all my metal designs the pieces will require a little cleaning using a file and/or sandpaper. The metal is very soft so this is a simple and satifying part of the build process. 
I tend to use superglue (Hafixx being my favoured choice) with a super glue activator to speed things up. 
 
To paint the item I strongly recommend a metal primer. Spray primers are the easiest and just a light coat with give the paint something to 'key' with......then the choice is yours. I use all types of paints from acrylics to cellulose spray paints. All have their own merits and so I choose according to the finish I wish to create. 
After applying my coats of paint I will always add an aging layer of raw umber acrylic (water it down and then paint and wipe off to leave the dark paint in the recesses). Aging can be very rewarding and there are many options for this. One little recommendation is to use rotten stone/pumice stone powder to add what I like to describe as "dust" to the piece. It is a powder and will always be a powder unless mixed with a binder such as glue. The powder is a soft grey and if it is brished on then off it will leave a slight dusting in the recesses of the design. 
A final flourish of splatter (very subtle brown/grey applied with by splattering the paint from a bristled brush such as a toothbrush) adds a little more interest.