Snuffbox
ca. 1755 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Saxony was rich in minerals and hardstones, leading to a blossoming of lapidary (polished stone) work. The city of Dresden was home to a treasury which was later extended by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland (ruled 1694-1733). This famous Green Vault (as it was known) encouraged the production of luxury objects. Under Augustus's successors, the goldsmiths Heinrich Taddel and his son-in-law Johann Christian Neuber became its directors.
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.
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 | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved white and purple quartz, rubies, chased gold, diamond in silver setting |
| Brief description | A jewelled, gold-mounted amethystine quartz snuffbox formed as a sheep naturalistically carved from white quartz, with ruby-set eyes, lying on a field of purple quartz. |
| Physical description | A jewelled, gold-mounted amethystine quartz snuffbox formed as a sheep naturalistically carved from white quartz, with ruby-set eyes, lying on a field of purple quartz. The base is carved in relief with a shepherdess and sheep in a fanciful landscape. The mount is chased with scrolls and flowers and set with a ruby and diamond floral thumbpiece. |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Alphonse Rothschild Collection, Vienna, Austria; Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips, London, 1989. Alphonse von Rothschild was a member of the Viennese branch of the Rothschild dynasty. His family wealth meant he could pursue a life dedicated to classical literature and the arts. When the Nazis swept into Vienna in 1938, Alphonse was fortunately travelling abroad, but the Rothschilds' palaces, assets and art collections were seized. The American journalist William Shirer observed Nazi officers 'emerging from the Rothschild house and piling their booty in waiting trucks'. The loot was taken to a collecting point where it was divided. After the war, this snuffbox was restituted to Alphonse von Rothschild's widow. This object formed part of the V&A's special provenance display 'Concealed Histories: Uncovering the Story of Nazi Looting' (December 2019 - June 2021) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Saxony was rich in minerals and hardstones, leading to a blossoming of lapidary (polished stone) work. The city of Dresden was home to a treasury which was later extended by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland (ruled 1694-1733). This famous Green Vault (as it was known) encouraged the production of luxury objects. Under Augustus's successors, the goldsmiths Heinrich Taddel and his son-in-law Johann Christian Neuber became its directors. 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. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.396-2008 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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