The Countess of Portland was the original owner of this 18th century diamond and shagreen etui. Once part of a larger chatelaine, the etui opens to reveal a pistol-grip folding knife, an ivory aide memoire, scissors, a pencil, and two personal grooming products.
It was passed down from Jane Bentinck (1672-1751), Countess of Portland, and given to her husband’s great-grand-daughter, Elizabeth Monck. The item was on Monck’s wedding inventory in 1769. Its most recent owner was the late London dealer David Lavender, who acquired it in 2006.