Pygmalion by Melissa Powder Compact, Full-Coverage Rococo Pastoral Enamel, Courting Couple Cartouche, Continuous Floral Vine to All Sides, Crosshatch Gold Reverse, Made in England, 1950s, Oxidation to Reverse Noted

Every surface painted. A garden on all four sides.

Pygmalion was the prestige enamelled range of Melissa of Birmingham, and the name is one of the most respected in British mid-century compact collecting. This is a full-coverage pastoral enamel compact: not merely a decorated lid, but a piece in which the painted scene wraps continuously across the lid face, over the body sides, and across the hinge band, so that every surface the eye lands on is part of the same world.

The lid face carries the central scene: a Rococo pastoral cartouche framed in scrolling gold acanthus and C-scroll surround, depicting a courting couple in 18th century dress in a lush garden setting. A woman in a voluminous coral-red crinoline gown is seated on a wooden garden bench; a man in purple breeches leans toward her beneath the arching canopy of green trees, the blue garden sky above them, a distant fence marking the boundary of their private moment. The colours are precise and vivid: coral red, cobalt blue, grass green, warm yellow. Around the cartouche on the cream-ivory ground, a repeating floral vine of red, pink, and orange blooms with green leaves runs to every edge. The same vine continues on all four body sides, unbroken, wrapping the compact as a single painted object. This is the Pygmalion difference: the decoration is total.

The reverse carries a fine crosshatch or waffle engine-turning across the full face in a warm amber-gold tone, the multi-barrel piano hinge stamped with the maker's mark: Made by MELISSA England. The original blush-pink suede puff is present, the word Pygmalion embossed in dark script to the face.

Condition points to note, visible in the close-up photos: a patch of rust-orange oxidation on the crosshatch gold reverse, approximately 10-12mm wide at centre-left, consistent with storage age. Light wear to the gold rim edges. The puff is used but intact. Light age marks to the mirror. The painted enamel surfaces on all sides are in excellent condition: vivid, no crazing or chips visible.

The Particulars:

• Maker: Melissa, Birmingham, England; Pygmalion range; stamped Made by MELISSA England to hinge
• Form: Large rectangular compact with full-length multi-barrel piano hinge
• Lid face: Cream-ivory enamel ground; central Rococo pastoral cartouche in gold acanthus scroll frame, courting couple in 18th century dress in garden setting; surrounding floral vine border in red, pink, orange and green to all edges
• Body sides: Continuous floral vine on cream ground, wrapping all four sides
• Reverse: Crosshatch/waffle engine-turning, amber-gold tone; oxidation patch centre-left, visible in photos
• Interior: Mirror (light age marks); original blush-pink suede Pygmalion branded puff (used, intact)
• Included: Original branded Pygmalion puff
• Not included: Box, sifter, slip
• Condition: Used, minimal wear. Oxidation patch to reverse; light rim wear; mirror age marks; used puff. Enamel on all decorative surfaces excellent. Please review all close-up photos carefully before purchasing.
• Period: 1950s British

The garden is still there. So is the couple on the bench.

Arrives tucked inside its own treasure coffin and carefully wrapped as a vault relic.