Snuffbox
ca. 1720 (chased)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Delayed by unfavourable winds on his way to the Trojan War, the Greek general Agamemnon prepared to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to appease the goddess Diana. This version of the scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses derives from an engraving by François Chauveau, published in Paris in 1676. In Ovid's account Diana subsituted a stag for Iphigenia at the last moment and took her away to be a priestess. Symbols of the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) appear on the sides of the box.
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
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gold, raised and chased |
| Brief description | Rectangular gold snuffbox with sacrifice of Iphigenia. Gold, London, ca.1720, mark of Burel |
| Physical description | Rectangular gold snuffbox, the cover finely chased and depicting the sacrifice of Iphigenia to the goddess Diana, bordered by reeded gold and four trellised cartouches, the walls chased with birds and a dog in landscapes with strapwork and foliage, the base with a cartouche enclosing a later engraved crest, a pelican's head erased, vulning herself, ducally gorged, and the motto "IN SANGUINE VITA", flanked by birds and animals on a matted ground. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Lord Wharton, London. Wartski, London. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Delayed by unfavourable winds on his way to the Trojan War, the Greek general Agamemnon prepared to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to appease the goddess Diana. This version of the scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses derives from an engraving by François Chauveau, published in Paris in 1676. In Ovid's account Diana subsituted a stag for Iphigenia at the last moment and took her away to be a priestess. Symbols of the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) appear on the sides of the box. 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 |
|
| Other numbers |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.318-2008 |
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
