Snuffbox
1764-1765 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A tontine was an early investment club in which the proceeds went to the last surviving member, in this case, Sir Charles Price, speaker of the House of Assembly of Jamaica. The inner lid is enamelled with the names and dates of death of the other members.
The box was made in 1764-65, but the arms engraved on the outside of the lid contain the red hand of Ulster, the heraldic symbol of baronetcy, and so they cannot have been engraved earlier than 1768, the year in which Price was created a baronet.
This box has its original shagreen case (made of fish skin).
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.
The box was made in 1764-65, but the arms engraved on the outside of the lid contain the red hand of Ulster, the heraldic symbol of baronetcy, and so they cannot have been engraved earlier than 1768, the year in which Price was created a baronet.
This box has its original shagreen case (made of fish skin).
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.
|
| Materials and techniques | Gold and enamel |
| Brief description | Gold and enamel snuffbox, marked London, 1764-65, Jasper Cunst |
| Physical description | Gold and enamel snuffbox, marked London, 1764-65, Jasper Cunst |
| Gallery label | 7. Tontine snuffbox
1764–65
A tontine was an investment club in which the proceeds went to the last surviving member. Here it was Sir Charles Price, speaker of the House of Assembly of Jamaica. Inside are the names and dates of deaths of the other members.
London, England; mark of Jasper Cunst (active 1721–76), enamelled plaque by George Michael Moser (1706–83)
Engraved and enamelled gold, with arms of Sir Charles Price (1708–72)
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.389:1-2008(16/11/2016) |
| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Previous owners: Sir Charles Price, Bt., Rose Hall, Jamaica, 1768. S.J. Phillips, London, 1996. |
| Summary | A tontine was an early investment club in which the proceeds went to the last surviving member, in this case, Sir Charles Price, speaker of the House of Assembly of Jamaica. The inner lid is enamelled with the names and dates of death of the other members. The box was made in 1764-65, but the arms engraved on the outside of the lid contain the red hand of Ulster, the heraldic symbol of baronetcy, and so they cannot have been engraved earlier than 1768, the year in which Price was created a baronet. This box has its original shagreen case (made of fish skin). 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 | Zech, Heike. Gold Boxes. Masterpieces from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection. London: V&A Publishing, 2015, pp. 104-105, no. 35. ISBN 987-1-85177-840-9 |
| Other numbers |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.389:1,2-2008 |
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| Record created | June 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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