Snuffbox
1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This object is an example of a Parisian snuffbox set with popular Italian micromosaics. The view is of the ruins of a temple at Paestum in Italy, an ancient city founded around 600BC by the Greeks. Scenes such as these were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries as mementos of the sites many visted on the 'Grand Tour' of Italy.
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 | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Chased gold, carved tortoiseshell, enamel and mosaic |
| Brief description | Chased gold, carved tortoiseshell, enamel and micromosaic snuffbox, Rome, ca.1820, Jean Louis Lefebvre |
| Physical description | Rectangular tortoiseshell snuffbox with gold mounts, blue enamel and mosaic cover showing the ruins of Paestum. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | |
| Gallery label | 2. Box with ruins at Paestum and case, 1809–19
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.484:1, 2-2008(16/11/2016) |
| 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, 1971 |
| Summary | This object is an example of a Parisian snuffbox set with popular Italian micromosaics. The view is of the ruins of a temple at Paestum in Italy, an ancient city founded around 600BC by the Greeks. Scenes such as these were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries as mementos of the sites many visted on the 'Grand Tour' of Italy. 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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| Other numbers |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.484:1, 2-2008 |
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| Record created | June 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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