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Ingenuity and practicality are combined in this little masterpiece of an accessory: a camel laden with two cases which are so large that the camel-driver, a young Mohr, almost disappears between them. The contrast between the ivory camel, the gilded cases and the dark tortoiseshell of the base is particularly charming. It’s a contrast that makes the precious materials seem all the more delicate. The exotic camel evokes the longing for oriental luxury, and the contents of the cases fulfill those wishes. Each of them contains two diamond-studded glass flacons, which were filled with perfume through a tiny gold funnel.

The high quality of the tortoiseshell veneer suggests that this precious object was produced by a French master-craftsman. That view is substantiated by the decoration on the camel’s gold neckband, which is so fine that it can hardly be seen with the naked eye. The decoration consists of lilies – the heraldic emblem of the kings of France.

This extraordinary object once belonged to Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, the wife of August the Strong. It became part of the Green Vault collection when she died in 1727.