Snuffbox
1755-80 (made), 1775-1780 (painted)
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The snuffboxes and other luxury objects by goldsmith Johann Christian Neuber (active 1762-1808) are well-recognised for making use of a variety of hardstones arranged in colourful patterns to create fabulous minerological objects. The colourful stones are set within gold cells, a technique known as zellenmosaik. The ‘pearls’ on this box are actually simulated using stone. Neuber used tapered rods of rock crystal hollowed out on the underside and filled with a silver substance. The final effect is close to the lustre of real pearls.
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. Arthur recognised Neuber’s exquisite technical skill and acquired seven of his iconic snuffboxes in total.
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. Arthur recognised Neuber’s exquisite technical skill and acquired seven of his iconic snuffboxes in total.
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Chased gold with agate, lapis lazuli, chalcedony, carnelian, moss agate, blue and yellow glass paste (glass), and simulated pearls |
| Brief description | A rectangular, gold-mounted hardstone snuffbox, the cover set with an enamel miniature of a young lady. |
| Physical description | A rectangular, gold-mounted hardstone snuffbox with canted corners, set with a Zellenmosaik of agate, lapis lazuli, chalcedony, carnelian, moss agate, blue and yellow paste (glass), and simulated pearls in false gadroons and ovals within a border of foliage and flowers, the cover set with an oval, bust-length enamel miniature of a young woman. |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Import mark, France, May 10, 1838-May 31, 1864 (On the bezel) |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Eugen Gutmann Collection, Berlin, 1912. Important Gold Boxes. Sale, Christie's, Geneva, lot. 83, 10 May 1983. Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from Garrard & Co, London, 1987. Whilst the box was probably made in Dresden around 1780, the miniature may have been painted up to five years earlier, probably by Nicolas Claude Vassal (active 1766-79) in Paris. Eugen Gutmann built a collection of gold and silver treasures, catalogued in 1912 as including this box. After his death the bulk of the collection went to his son, Friedrich (1886 - 1944) in the Netherlands. From 1940, Nazi art dealers repeatedly descended upon the Gutmanns' home. In 1942 they compelled Friedrich to send his father's collection to Munich. In 1943, Friedrich and his wife Louise (1892 - 1944) were deported to the Theresienstadt Ghetto, and they were murdered. Apart from the 1912 catalogue, there are no records of this snuffbox until it reappeared on the art market in 1983. This object formed part of the V&A's special provenance display 'Concealed Histories: Uncovering the Story of Nazi Looting' (December 2019 - June 2021) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The snuffboxes and other luxury objects by goldsmith Johann Christian Neuber (active 1762-1808) are well-recognised for making use of a variety of hardstones arranged in colourful patterns to create fabulous minerological objects. The colourful stones are set within gold cells, a technique known as zellenmosaik. The ‘pearls’ on this box are actually simulated using stone. Neuber used tapered rods of rock crystal hollowed out on the underside and filled with a silver substance. The final effect is close to the lustre of real pearls. 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. Arthur recognised Neuber’s exquisite technical skill and acquired seven of his iconic snuffboxes in total. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.350-2008 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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