Gothic style silver plated reliquary or ecclesiastical alms box, modeled as a church or other architectural structure with pitched roof adorned with pierced quatrefoil band and finials at top and spread-winged eagle pattern "shingles"; the sides feature charity-themed vignettes of figures warming themselves by the fire, men thanking a woman mending clothes, a baptism scene, and a scene of one man stopping another from taking a weeping woman's basket. Images of saints and bail handles at each end. Figural snail form feet. Lined with purple flocked velvet. Marked on underside with AFC in hexagonal motif. 9 1/2" H x 9" W x 5"D. Continental, mid 19th century, possibly Russian. Provenance: the estate of Martha Dodge, Hendersonville, TN; by descent from her uncle, Dr. Edward Dunlap. Note: Dunlap was chief of the ophthalmology division of Cornell Medical Center in New York. He was a noted gem and mineral collector who bequeathed his mineral collection to Case Western Reserve University upon his death in 2004. (Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com.)

Minor wear, overall very good condition. Finials slightly bent.