Featured Tooled and pressed brass lidded box with celluloid? Hippocampi

This is an odd lot of techniques and materials. My friend bought it (because it was green) and I'm prepared to help her sell it, if I can demystify if a bit. I believe that stamp is trying to say "MADE/ITALY"

• The center piece is nice - l don't believe it's ivory. It's got a wet or pasty look to it. Repurposed from something else?
  
• Very tarnished at the moment. I remember it polishing up well.
• The enamel is not great at all.
  
• The lid is a weird fit to the box
• 4 x 3 x .5
  
• There's an even odder flange on the bottom of the left side - it looks intentional. I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like that, but it does make it slightly easier to open, I guess??

Any guesses on how this thing came to be, what it was for or how old it might be? The style of carving on the lid?

@Bronwen !!

 

The lid fits weird because it's bent and warped,the flange bottom left is for your finger to hold the box down while opening the tight top. The top has wriggle and line engraving the sides and bottom are die stamped and from a rolling machine.

 

Thanks, @Hollyblue

I suspect it's just hinged badly.

If I lay the lid flat over the edge of the table (opened), it's pretty flat. The interior frames are far from meeting in the front. The front edge is curled over, but not down to the level of the inside fittings/frames, if that's what they're called.

If it ever did fit tightly, that flange would be useful.

 

The lid would have been tight as there is a soldered rectangle tab on the top inside edge.

 

20s deco brass box that may have had gilt flashing originally. The medallion is probably celluloid. Think the hinge a bit deformed so that it doesn't close properly.

 

This was a pretty thing when new, meant to imitate a luxury item that would have been worthy of Faberge.

I can't diagnose the bent chassis problem that now prevents it from closing properly, but looks to me like it was meant to carry with you, not to sit on a table, so would have been held in both hands to open; as Holly said, the tab on the bottom was so you could exert force on that half with the thumb. Something meant to be carried around has to stay closed firmly, not fall open in transit. Could have been for cigarettes, or maybe pastilles:

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-austrian-enamel-flower-1792802242

The central medallion will have been copied from something. Spent a little time looking without success. Tritons with hippocamps (winged or not) are usually part of a scene with Poseidon, Amprhitrite, and/or some frisky Nereids. You can see there is a second one blowing a triton shell on the far left. Agree the material is Celluloid or similar.

This is for @Any Jewelry

 

Ooohhh, these putti!

 

I'd rather have OP's:

 

Thanks, everyone! I'm not sure it's even worth what she paid for it, but I'll give it a whirl

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/233183058627