This is a French, Napoleon III era 'carnet de bal' or dance card, made of inlaid MOP & Ivory, & dating to around 1850.

The carnet de bal is in the form of a fan, with MOP covers, 6 Ivory pages or leaves, & a Gilt chain & finger (or chatelaine) ring.

The front & rear covers are made from Mother of Pearl, & feature chamfered edges, with the front cover having a thin, twin tone Gold leaf floral & foliate inlay.

The holder has an embossed Gilt metal pencil holder / clasp to one side, & the covers / leaves fan open on a pivot, the pin having decorative, gilt metal 'rose' mounts. The gilt metal finger ring has an embossed scrolling foliate design.

The holder contains six Ivory leaves, three of which have hand written notes in pencil, in French, detailing the dances (including the Polka, which was extremely popular in mid 19th C. Continental Europe) & the names of the proposed dancing partners.

Condition is fine, with all leaves intact, no cracks, splits, or other damage, & a fine pivot joint. The only points to note are that there is no pencil or ribbon (as is the norm with holders of this age), & there is some minor loss to the inlay.

The Carnet de Bal measures approx 3 1/8" in length (approx 8cm) excluding the chain & ring (which measures approx 2 1/2").

Overall, a Fine, original Carnet de Bal, in great condition for it's 160 odd years.