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George IV

Snuff Box
ca. 1828 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
England (made)

This snuff box in ivory was probably made in England in about 1828 by an unknown artist. It represents the portrait of King George IV as Prince Regent on the lid. The appearance of the subject recalls metallic portraits. Although none is directly comparable, a close analogy is provided by the 1828 medal on the king by A. J. Stothard (Brown I 1980, cat. no. 1337).

Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Containers
Politics
Royalty
Personal Accessories
Portraits
Object type
Snuff box
TitleGeorge IV (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Carved ivory
Ivory
Carving
Brief description
Snuff box, circular carved ivory, portrait of George IV on the lid, British, ca. 1828
Physical description
Circular carved ivory snuff box decorated with a portrait bust of George IV on the lid. King George is facing left and is shown with a bare neck, and short hair. The background has been worked to give a roughened surface.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 8.5cm (Note: of lid)
  • Height: 1.6cm (Note: of box)
Object history
Bought from Charles Hobson Esq., Garth House, Grange Road, Ealing, London, for £10 in 1927.
Subject depicted
George IV (King of Great Britain and Ireland, and King of Hanover)
Summary
This snuff box in ivory was probably made in England in about 1828 by an unknown artist. It represents the portrait of King George IV as Prince Regent on the lid. The appearance of the subject recalls metallic portraits. Although none is directly comparable, a close analogy is provided by the 1828 medal on the king by A. J. Stothard (Brown I 1980, cat. no. 1337).
Bibliographic references
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. London: Published under the Authority of the Board of Education, 1929, Part II, p. 118
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, cat. no. 189
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.83-1927

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Record createdNovember 18, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107360/george-iv-snuff-box-unknown/
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