The portraits inside this box are of Carl Theodore (1724-99), a member of the Bavarian royal family, and his wife Elizabeth Auguste (1721-94). Theodore held the high office of Elector, which gave him the power, as part of an electoral college, to choose the Holy Roman Emperor.
Snuffboxes made out of porcelain followed the shapes of those made in gold and hardstones. Painted scenes or portraits ornamented the sides, covers and interiors. Changing forms and decoration were important, as these fashion accessories might be chosen to match the season or a particular costume. Most European (though rarely English) porcelain factories made snuffboxes. The largest producer was Meissen in Germany, which manufactured vast quantities of boxes from about 1735-65. A price list of 1765 mentions 11 varieties, the cheapest painted with flowers. The porcelain of this box was produced there, whilst the mounts were made in Dresden.
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
Rectangular triple snuffbox of hard-paste porcelain painted in enamels, with plain gold mounts. The cover, enclosing a split interior, is divided in half and decorated with Mars and Minerva in wooded landscapes within Rococo cartouche of pink and yellow on a blue osier ground; the interior of the lid is painted with portraits of Carl Theodore, the Elector Palatine, in armour, wearing the sash of the Order if St. Hubert, and his wife Elisabeth Auguste, attributed to Johann Martin Heinrici, each shown half length and facing three quarters in towards each other. The hinged base is painted on the outside with Pan pursuing Syrinx, watched by the river god Ladon, somewhat ambiguously depicted, within a scrolling cartouche against a blue osier background; on the interior Europa and the bull are escorted by tritons and nereids with Jupiter as an eagle in the sky. The walls are painted with similar cartouches, also bordered by a blue osier ground, enclosing studies of Leda and the swan, Venus and Cupid, Diana the Huntress, and Venus borne along by dolphins. The box has two scrolling thumbpieces.
Place of Origin
Meissen, Germany (box, made)
Dresden, Germany (mounts, made)
Date
ca. 1750 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Gold-mounted, enamelled porcelain
Dimensions
Height: 5.3 cm, Width: 8.8 cm, Depth: 7.2 cm, Weight: 260 g
Object history note
Provenance: Christie's, Geneva, lot 371, November 16, 1992. S. J. Phillips, London..
Descriptive line
Rectangular, triple snuffbox of porcelain painted in enamels, with plain gold mounts, the cover, enclosing a split interior, is divided in half and decorated with Mars and Minerva in wooded landscapes.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Truman, Charles.The Gilbert collection of gold boxes, volume II, London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., 1999, cat. no. 26, pp. 49-50. ISBN.0856675210.
Labels and date
Triple-opening snuffbox with the Elector Palatine
About 1750
The portraits inside are of Carl Theodore (1724–99), a member of the Bavarian royal family, and his wife Elizabeth Auguste (1721–94). Theodore held the high office of Elector Palatine, which gave him the power, as part of an electoral college, to choose the Holy
Roman Emperor.
Box: Meissen, Germany; portraits probably by Johann Martin Heinrici (1713–86)
Mounts: Dresden, Germany
Hard-paste porcelain, enamel colours and gold
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.492-2008 [2009]
Production Note
Portraits probably by Johann Martin Heinrici.
Materials
Porcelain; Gold; Enamel
Techniques
Painting (image-making); Slip-casting
Subjects depicted
Cupid; Venus; Minerva; Diana; Mars; Pan; Leda; Europa; Syrinx; Karl Theodor (Prince- Elector, Count Palatine, Duke of Bavaria); Elisabeth Auguste (Electress Palatine)
Collection code
MET
