Snuffbox
- Place of origin:
London, England (box, made)
Rome, Italy (mosaic, made)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
Rawlings & Summers (box maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Chased silver-gilt and micromosaic
- Credit Line:
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Gold, Silver & Mosaics, room 72, case 5, shelf 3
- Image in copyright
The term 'micromosaic' is used to describe mosaics made of the smallest glass pieces. Some micromosaics contain more than 5000 pieces per square inch. Predators and their prey were a popular subject for micromosaics; a range of such pictures can be found within the Gilbert collection. Many were inspired by the work of the Austrian painter Wenceslaus Peter (1742-1829), who is known to have sold drawings to mosaicists in Rome. This particular mosaic was made in Rome, whilst the box was manufactured in London.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Physical description
A circular silver-gilt snuffbox, the cover set with a round micromosaic showing a fox devouring a pheasant. The border around the mosaic is chased with acanthus scrolls.
Place of Origin
London, England (box, made)
Rome, Italy (mosaic, made)
Date
1840-1 (assayed)
Artist/maker
Rawlings & Summers (box maker)
Materials and Techniques
Chased silver-gilt and micromosaic
Dimensions
Diameter: 10.2 cm, Height: 3.5 cm
Object history note
Provenance: J. H. Bourdon-Smith, London.
Historical context note
Similar to circular micromosaic panel depicting a fox killing a cock pheasant sold by Thomas Mawer and Son of Lincoln for e2700 on December 2nd, 2006, as reported in Antiques Trade Gazette, 13th January, 2007 (see file record).
Descriptive line
Circular silver-gilt snuffbox with a fox and pheasant; mosaic: Rome: box: Charles Rawlings and William Summers, London, 1840-41
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Gonzalez-Palacios, Alvar and Steffi Röttgen with essays by Steffi Röttgen, Claudia Przyborowski; essays and new catalogue material translated by Alla Theodora Hall. The Art of Mosaics: Selections from the Gilbert Collection. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1982, 224 p., ill. Cat. no. 43. ISBN 0875871097
Gabriel, Jeanette Hanisee with contributions by Anna Maria Massinelli and essays by Judy Rudoe and Massimo Alfieri. Micromosaics: The Gilbert Collection. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd. in association with The Gilbert Collection, 2000. 310 p., ill. Cat. no. 145, p. 214. ISBN 0856675113.
Gonzalez-Palacios, Alvar. The Art of Mosaics: Selections from the Gilbert Collection, Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1977. 143 p., ill. Cat. no. 39. ISBN 0875870805.
Materials
Silver-gilt; Mosaic glass
Techniques
Gilding; Chasing; Micromosaic
Subjects depicted
Fox; Pheasant
Collection code
MET
