Snuffbox
ca.1750 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This tortoiseshell box, which depicts putti playing in a fountain, is set with a number of precious materials. The scrolling pilasters and stylised shells are rendered in gold, the putti are depicted in ivory and mother of pearl is used for the fountain. Lapis lazuli and malachite add colour to the scene. The rococo ornament upon this box can be associated with artists working in Southern Germany, particularly Bavaria. However, the movement of styles and artists in this period makes it quite possible that the box was made in Berlin.
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, tortoiseshell, ivory, mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli, malachite |
Brief description | Snuffbox, gold, tortoiseshell, ivory, mother of pearl, lapis lazuli and malachite, Germany ca.1750 |
Physical description | Cartouche-shaped snuffbox of tortoiseshell, mounted and lined gold, ivory, mother of pearl, lapis lazuli and malachite, depicting on the cover two putti with a fountain, amid scrolling pilasters and stylised shells; around the walls, further putti appear in reserves enclosed by Rococo ornament, the base engraved with a gold rocaille, the reeded mount with shell and scroll thumbpiece. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Marks and inscriptions | No marks |
Gallery label | Snuffbox with putti by a fountain
About 1750
Possibly Augsburg or Berlin, Germany
Gold, tortoiseshell, ivory, mother-of-pearl,
lapis lazuli and malachite
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.424-2008(2009) |
Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
Object history | Provenance: Christie's, Geneva, 11 May 1982, lot 183. Wartski, London. Sotheby's, Geneva, 18-19 November 1996, lot 283. S.J. Phillips, London, 1996. |
Production | Probably Augsburg or Berlin |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This tortoiseshell box, which depicts putti playing in a fountain, is set with a number of precious materials. The scrolling pilasters and stylised shells are rendered in gold, the putti are depicted in ivory and mother of pearl is used for the fountain. Lapis lazuli and malachite add colour to the scene. The rococo ornament upon this box can be associated with artists working in Southern Germany, particularly Bavaria. However, the movement of styles and artists in this period makes it quite possible that the box was made in Berlin. 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, volume II, London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., 1999, cat. no. 15, p. 33. ISBN.0856675210 |
Other numbers |
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Collection | |
Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.424-2008 |
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Record created | June 19, 2008 |
Record URL |
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