Snuffbox
1760-1770 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This box, of panels of chalcedony (a type of quartz), is applied with flowers and insects in various coloured hardstones and some glass elements. The technique of raised stonework such as this is frequently associated with the court of Frederick the Great of Prussia (r. 1740-86) in Berlin, and it is likely that this box was made there.
Friedrich Ludwig Hoffmann (active c.1760–70) was active as a stone-cutter in Bayreuth, Germany, in 1762. He may have been one of a group of artists who moved to Berlin in 1763, following the death of the Margrave of Brandenburgh-Bayreuth in the same year.
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.
Friedrich Ludwig Hoffmann (active c.1760–70) was active as a stone-cutter in Bayreuth, Germany, in 1762. He may have been one of a group of artists who moved to Berlin in 1763, following the death of the Margrave of Brandenburgh-Bayreuth in the same year.
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 | Six panels of beige chalcedony overlaid with a variety of chalcedonies, agates including red-tinted banded agate, bloodstone, red jasper, turquoise and lapis lazuli, with later glass and stone replacements; chased gold mounts. |
| Brief description | Rectangular, gold-mounted hardstone snuffbox with insects and flowers; F.L. Hoffmann, signed, Berlin or Dresden, ca. 1750 |
| Physical description | A rectangular, gold-mounted hardstone snuffbox formed of six panels of beige chalcedony. These are decorated with insects and flowers made of hardstone, with the details of the legs and antennae engraved and blackened. The gold mounts are chased with scrolls and flowers. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'F.L.HOFFMAN F.' (Engraved on the base) |
| Gallery label | 9. Snuffbox with flowers and insects
1760–70
Friedrich Ludwig Hoffmann is recorded as active as a stone-cutter in Bayreuth, Germany in 1762. He may have moved to Berlin in 1763, following the death of his patron, the Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth.
Germany; quartz signed by Friedrich Ludwig Hoffmann (active 1760s)
Quartz set with hardstones, chased gold and glass
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.416-2008(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, 1987. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This box, of panels of chalcedony (a type of quartz), is applied with flowers and insects in various coloured hardstones and some glass elements. The technique of raised stonework such as this is frequently associated with the court of Frederick the Great of Prussia (r. 1740-86) in Berlin, and it is likely that this box was made there. Friedrich Ludwig Hoffmann (active c.1760–70) was active as a stone-cutter in Bayreuth, Germany, in 1762. He may have been one of a group of artists who moved to Berlin in 1763, following the death of the Margrave of Brandenburgh-Bayreuth in the same year. 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 |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.416-2008 |
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| Record created | September 4, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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