This was made in Germany in 1832, after the failed Polish November uprising against Russia, in an unprecedented era of 'good feelings' among Germans towards Poles from 1831 to 1848. The image on the cover is from Dietrich Monten's painting 'Finis Poloniae', 1832 (there is a pretty good image of it at the Berlin's Staatsbibliothek website).
The uniforms shown are a mixture of Austrian and French light cavalry. The white cloak with red edging worn by one of the men is emblematic of the Polish colours. The central figure is wearing a typically Austrian uniform (see the Hungarian knots in gold bullion on the top of his red breeches). The seated figure on the right hand side is wearing some sort of Napoleonic French lancer uniform.
The condition of the box is excellent, with a few minor dings here and there, and reminds me of the 19th century Russian laquered boxes, painted in a similar style. The black paintwork is crazed throughout and, indeed, there is minor crackelure to the painted lid, with one larger scratch/crack across the base of the white cloak.
If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.
[Ephemera : Paintings : Polish : 19th Century]
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