A French box with a medical illustration, veneered in tortoiseshell and adorned with mother-of-pearl, circa 1700The outside of the small wooden box entirely veneered in red underlaid tortoiseshell, with a hinged lid and a narrow drawer at the front. Finely engraved mother-of-pearl inlays on the slightly domed lid. A depiction of two putti in the roles of doctor and patient, the doctor holding up a glass of urine. Above which a banner with a Latin inscription "Morbum Noscere Curationis Principium" (Knowing the disease is the first cause of relief). Dimensions 12.1 x 9.4 x 7.4 cm.It was standard practice in baroque medicine for the doctor to taste the patient's urine in order to make a diagnosis. Attention: This lot can only be shipped within the European Union.Condition: II