Snuffbox
1744-5 (marked)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The panels in this box are made of shell, pieced together to create Chinese landscapes and figures. 'Chinoiserie' describes the adoption of Chinese motifs by European designers in the eighteenth century to create their own fantastical version of the style.
Claude de Villers, the goldsmith whose mark appears on the box, was one of the privileged group working directly for the royal household at the Gobelins factory. He was sponsored as a goldsmith by his father who was joaillier du Roi and lived at the Gobelins for the whole of his career.
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.
Claude de Villers, the goldsmith whose mark appears on the box, was one of the privileged group working directly for the royal household at the Gobelins factory. He was sponsored as a goldsmith by his father who was joaillier du Roi and lived at the Gobelins for the whole of his career.
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
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Chased gold, mother of pearl panels set with shell in gold cloisons |
| Brief description | Snuffbox with chinoiserie scene. Gold, mother of pearl, shell. Claude de Villers, Paris, 1744-45 |
| Physical description | A rectangular gold and shell snuffbox, set with panels of chinoiserie scenes, the cover with a Chinese gentleman and a parrot with a tree and pagoda, on the walls and base, various Chinese architectural caprices. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1988. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The panels in this box are made of shell, pieced together to create Chinese landscapes and figures. 'Chinoiserie' describes the adoption of Chinese motifs by European designers in the eighteenth century to create their own fantastical version of the style. Claude de Villers, the goldsmith whose mark appears on the box, was one of the privileged group working directly for the royal household at the Gobelins factory. He was sponsored as a goldsmith by his father who was joaillier du Roi and lived at the Gobelins for the whole of his career. 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 reference | Truman, Charles. The Gilbert collection of gold boxes, Vol. I. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1991, cat. no. 7, pp. 44-5. ISBN.0875871623 |
| Other numbers |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.406-2008 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | June 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
