Box
1783-1795 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This box was made for snuff, powdered tobacco which was sniffed at the nose. The box is decorated with a central trophy on the lid composed of a balloon and scientific instruments, representing Science, and on the base with a trophy of musical instruments and a score, representing Music.
The balloon appears from the open mouth at the base of its sack to be of hot-air type. In 1783 in France manned flight was achieved with both gas and hot-air balloons. After trials with animals, a tethered hot-air balloon designed by Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier flew with two people on 19 October 1783 in Paris, and the first free flight with human beings took place on 21 November 1783.
The balloon appears from the open mouth at the base of its sack to be of hot-air type. In 1783 in France manned flight was achieved with both gas and hot-air balloons. After trials with animals, a tethered hot-air balloon designed by Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier flew with two people on 19 October 1783 in Paris, and the first free flight with human beings took place on 21 November 1783.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Varicoloured gold, chased, engraved and matted |
| Brief description | Oval box in varicoloured gold, the top centred by a trophy of scientific instruments and a balloon, probably Switzerland, 1783-95 |
| Physical description | Oval gold box. The lid is centred by a framed oval reserve containing a trophy of scientific instruments and a white balloon. On either side is a panel with bright-cut edges and a small reserve with foliage. Around the outside of the rim runs a border composed of a white ribbon interwoven with a wreath of leaves. On the sides at the ends and at the centre of the front and the back there are four oval reserves, each containing a festooned white vase on a matted ground. Between these oval reserves are panels with bright-cut borders, each panel divided in the middle by a pilaster surmounted by a wreathed head. The decoration of the base is similar to that on the lid, but the oval reserve contains a lyre, a trumpet and a white music score. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | crown above the punched number 163. (Punched on the bezel of the box near the hinge, viewer's left. Possibly an inventory number, the crown or coronet suggesting a royal or noble owner.) |
| Credit line | George Mitchell Bequest |
| Object history | The box is decorated with a central trophy on the lid composed of a balloon and scientific instruments, representing Science, and on the base with a trophy of musical instruments and a score, representing Music. The balloon appears from the open mouth at the base of its sack to be of hot-air type. In 1783 in France manned flight was achieved with both gas and hot-air balloons. After trials with animals, a tethered hot-air balloon designed by Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier flew with two people on 19 October 1783 in Paris, and the first free flight with human beings took place on 21 November 1783. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This box was made for snuff, powdered tobacco which was sniffed at the nose. The box is decorated with a central trophy on the lid composed of a balloon and scientific instruments, representing Science, and on the base with a trophy of musical instruments and a score, representing Music. The balloon appears from the open mouth at the base of its sack to be of hot-air type. In 1783 in France manned flight was achieved with both gas and hot-air balloons. After trials with animals, a tethered hot-air balloon designed by Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier flew with two people on 19 October 1783 in Paris, and the first free flight with human beings took place on 21 November 1783. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 172-1878 |
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| Record created | December 7, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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