Exceptional document holder

Exceptional Louis XIV style document holder in tortoiseshell marquetry with engraved brass filets engraved with “Boulle” and with two ebony folding sides.
Richly decorated with finely engraved bronze, gilded with matt and burnished gold.
Composed of two openwork foldable sides, controlled by a mechanism which allows them to be either open or closed.
All rests on two supports at each end, joined by a cross-bar. The upper part presents two lions’ muzzles facing one another. The body is decorated with Boulle marquetry and inserted into a lively gilt bronze mount. Resting on four lions’ paws with flared claws and on wheels.

English work from the mid-19th century, circa 1850-1860.