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Snuffbox

ca. 1750 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
London (made)

The enamelled ground upon this box probably replaced earlier hardstone panels. The Neo-classical border of palmettes was added at the same time, and contrasts sharply with the Chinoiserie theme.

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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watch How was it made? Guilloché enamelling Guilloché is a highly decorative technique used in metalwork, which combines mechanical engraving and translucent enamels to create surface embellishment.

Object details

Categories
Metalwork
Containers
Personal Accessories
Enamels
Object type
Snuffbox
Materials and techniques
Enamelled copper with pastes
Gold
Enamel
Piercing
Chasing
Engine Turning
Enamelling
Guilloché (Engraving Technique)
Brief description
A gold and enamel rectangular snuffbox with Chinoiserie figures and landscapes; London, ca.1750
Physical description
A gold and enamel rectangular snuffbox with Chinoiserie figures and landscapes in scroll surrounds over a translucent blue enamel engine-turned ground.
Dimensions
  • Length: 8.3cm
  • Width: 6.4cm
  • Height: 3.1cm
Styles
Chinoiserie
Rococo
Marks and inscriptions
Mark for gold imported from countries without customs conventions with France, June 1, 1893 onward (On the right side of the bezel)
Gallery label
  • 10. Snuffbox with Chinese scenes About 1750, remounted about 1770 Possibly London, England Pierced gold over engine-turned and enamelled gold ground Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.417-2008(17/03/2021)
  • 3. Snuffbox with Chinese scenes, about 1750, remounted about 1770 Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.417-2008(16/11/2016)
  • Snuffbox with Chinese scenes About 1750, remounted about 1770 The enamelled ground probably replaced earlier hardstone panels. The Neo-classical border of palmettes was added at the same time. Possibly London, England Pierced gold over engine-turned and enamelled gold ground Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.417-2008(2009)
Credit line
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Object history
Provenance: Sotheby's, Zurich, lot 43, November 7, 1975. Christie's, Geneva, lot 486, May 13, 1980.
Production
remounted ca.1770
Subjects depicted
Landscape
Chinoiserie
Landscape
Figure, Male
Rocaille
Palmette
Shell
Scrollwork
Pagoda
Flowers
Summary
The enamelled ground upon this box probably replaced earlier hardstone panels. The Neo-classical border of palmettes was added at the same time, and contrasts sharply with the Chinoiserie theme.

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
  • Habsburg-Lothringen, Géza von. Gold boxes from the collection of Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert. R. & A. Gilbert, 1983. 125 p., ill. Cat. no. 18. ISBN. 0961039809.
  • Truman, Charles.The Gilbert collection of gold boxes, Vol. I. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1991, cat. no. 100, pp. 292-3. ISBN.0875871623
  • Zech, Heike. Gold Boxes. Masterpieces from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection. London: V&A Publishing, 2015, p. 18, fig. 10. ISBN 987-1-85177-840-9
Other numbers
  • GB 18 - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • 1996.385 - The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
LOAN:GILBERT.417-2008

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Record createdJune 19, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O156448/snuffbox-unknown/
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