Box thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91 to 93 mezzanine, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Box

1718-1719 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This box was made to contain snuff, a form of powdered tobacco. It bears London marks for 1718-19, an early example of full hallmarks on a London gold box..

The box had an eventful history during World War II. It was the personal box of Martin Norton (1911-2005) of S. J. Phillips Ltd. of New Bond Street, London. He was one of the great international figures among the dealers in jewellery, silver and gold boxes. The box was in his pocket when his ship was torpedoed crossing the Atlantic. His family delights in the story that, when he reached land and rang his wife, her first question, knowing what his primary concern would have been, was 'Is the box safe?'.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Gold, engraved
Brief description
Gold box, probably made by Paul Hanet, London, 1718-19. Engraved with a crest, a wyvern.
Physical description
Gold, engraved with a cartouche enclosing an oval containing a wyvern
Dimensions
  • Length: 75mm
  • Width: 54mm
  • Height: 11mm
Marks and inscriptions
  • HA (maker's incuse mark)
  • London hallmarks for 1718-19
  • Engraved with a crest, a wyvern
Credit line
Bequeathed by Martin Norton
Object history
This box had an eventful history during World War II. It was the personal box of Martin Norton (1911-2005) of S. J. Phillips Ltd. of New Bond Street, London. He was one of the great international figures among the dealers in jewellery, silver and gold boxes. The box was in his pocket when his ship was torpedoed crossing the Atlantic. His family delights in the story that, when he reached land and rang his wife, her first question, knowing what his primary concern would have been, was 'Is the box safe?'.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This box was made to contain snuff, a form of powdered tobacco. It bears London marks for 1718-19, an early example of full hallmarks on a London gold box..

The box had an eventful history during World War II. It was the personal box of Martin Norton (1911-2005) of S. J. Phillips Ltd. of New Bond Street, London. He was one of the great international figures among the dealers in jewellery, silver and gold boxes. The box was in his pocket when his ship was torpedoed crossing the Atlantic. His family delights in the story that, when he reached land and rang his wife, her first question, knowing what his primary concern would have been, was 'Is the box safe?'.
Bibliographic reference
Norton, Richard and Martin. A History of Gold Snuff Boxes. London: S. J. Phillips, 1938, pp. 98-9, plate 35A.
Collection
Accession number
M.7-2007

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Record createdSeptember 13, 2007
Record URL
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