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Not currently on display at the V&A

Snuffbox

ca. 1780 (made)
Artist/Maker
Neuber, Johann Christian (maker)
Place of origin
Dresden (made)

This box demonstrates the technique of Zellenmosaik (literally, cell mosaic), in which small pieces of hardstone (tesserae) are separated by areas of gold. This technique is believed to have been developed by Heinrich Taddel or his son-in-law Johann Christian Neuber, who worked at Taddel's workshop in Dresden. The marks on the box are unusually informative for a box by Neuber: it is marked 'NEUBER', 'DRESDEN', and '20' for 20 carat gold. The cover was set later with a miniature of Charlotte Aglaé, Madmoiselle de Valois, by a follower of the enameller Jean Petitot, 1825-50.

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.


Object details

Object type
Snuffbox
Materials and techniques
Carved lapis lazuli and marble, Zellenmosaik hardstones, matted gold and glazed miniature
Lapis Lazuli
Marble
Hardstone
Gold
Enamel
Glass
Carving
Mosaic
Carving
Tooling
Painting (Image-Making)
Matting
Brief description
An oval, gold-mounted hardstone Zellenmosaik snuffbox, on the cover a miniature of Charlotte Aglaé in a lapis lazuli ground bordered by red and green hardstone leaves and berries.
Physical description
An oval, gold-mounted hardtone 'Zellenmosaik' snuffbox, on the cover a miniature of a young lady in a white gown mounted on a lapis lazuli ground bordered by red and green hardstone leaves and berries.
Dimensions
  • Width: 8.9cm
  • Depth: 6.6cm
  • Height: 6.6cm
Measured 04/03/24 IW
Gallery label
  • 6. Snuffbox with portrait of a woman Box, about 1780. Miniature, 1825–50 Dresden, Germany; mark of Johann Christian Neuber (1736–1808) Gold, hardstones, lapis lazuli and marble, with glazed enamel miniature added later Formerly in the collection of Walter Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.354-2008(16/11/2016)
  • Snuffbox with portrait of a woman Box: about 1780. Miniature: 1825–50 Dresden, Germany; mark of Johann Christian Neuber (1736–1808) Gold, hardstones, lapis lazuli and marble, with glazed enamel miniature added later Formerly in the collection of Viscount Bearsted Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.354-2008(2009)
Credit line
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Object history
Provenance: Viscount Bearsted, M.C.. S.J. Philips, London.
Production
The cover was set later with a miniature of Charlotte Aglaé, Mademoiselle de Valois, by a follower of Jean Petitot, 1825-50.
Summary
This box demonstrates the technique of Zellenmosaik (literally, cell mosaic), in which small pieces of hardstone (tesserae) are separated by areas of gold. This technique is believed to have been developed by Heinrich Taddel or his son-in-law Johann Christian Neuber, who worked at Taddel's workshop in Dresden. The marks on the box are unusually informative for a box by Neuber: it is marked 'NEUBER', 'DRESDEN', and '20' for 20 carat gold. The cover was set later with a miniature of Charlotte Aglaé, Madmoiselle de Valois, by a follower of the enameller Jean Petitot, 1825-50.

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.
Bibliographic references
  • Norton, Richard and Martin. A History of gold snuff boxes. London: Messrs. S. J. Phillips, 1938. pl. 40.
  • 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, no. 22.
  • Habsburg-Lothringen, Géza von. Gold boxes from the collection of Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert. R. & A. Gilbert, 1983, 125 p., ill. Cat no. 39, pp. 81-2. ISBN. 0961039809.
  • Truman, Charles,The Gilbert collection of gold boxes, Vol. I, Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1991, cat. no. 78, pp. 229-31. ISBN.0875871623
  • Massinelli, Anna Maria with contributions by Jeanette Hanisee Gabriel. Hardstones: The Gilbert Collection. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd. in association with The Gilbert Collection, 2000. 329 p., ill. Cat. no. 58, p. 149. ISBN 0856675105.
  • 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. 22, p. 51. ISBN 0875870805.
  • British Antique Dealers' Association Golden Jubilee Exhibition, London : The British Antique Dealers' Association, 1968 23
Other numbers
  • GB 81 - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • 1996.433 - The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House
  • 1996.791.1 - The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House
  • MIN 26 - Arthur Gilbert Number
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
LOAN:GILBERT.354-2008

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Record createdJune 19, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O156488/snuffbox-neuber-johann-christian/
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