Snuffbox
1758-1759 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The top and sides of this snuffbox are enamelled with rustic scenes of childhood. The top scene is taken from a painting by Jean-Baptiste Greuze La lecture de la Bible, a sentimental painting first shown to great acclaim at the Paris salon of 1755.
The box is made by Pierre-Jean Bellanger, the son of a master goldsmith. The identity of the enameller is as yet unclear. It resembles a box formerly in the collection of Lord Rothschild, with enamels signed by Louis-Philippe Demay. However, other similar enamels are found signed Maillée or Demailly and boxes marked for Demay sometimes bear no enamels or are enamelled in a different style.
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 is made by Pierre-Jean Bellanger, the son of a master goldsmith. The identity of the enameller is as yet unclear. It resembles a box formerly in the collection of Lord Rothschild, with enamels signed by Louis-Philippe Demay. However, other similar enamels are found signed Maillée or Demailly and boxes marked for Demay sometimes bear no enamels or are enamelled in a different style.
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 | Chased gold and enamel <i>en plein</i> |
| Brief description | Oval snuffbox with 'La lecture de la Bible' after Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Gold, enamel. Pierre-Jean Bellanger. Paris, 1758-59 |
| Physical description | An oval, enamelled gold snuffbox, the cover, walls and base painted en plein with, on the cover 'La lecture de la Bible' after Jean-Baptiste Greuze and, on the walls and base interior genre scenes of children and rustic families, bordered by gold chased with scrolling foliage and shells, the walls with borders of flutes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | 11. Snuffbox with family scenes
1758–59
Paris, France; mark of Pierre-Jean Bellanger (active 1754–1790s)
The cover shows Reading the Bible (1755) after Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805)
Enamelled gold
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.325-2008(16/11/2016) |
| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Sir Charles Clore, sale Christie's, Geneva, lot. 64, November 12, 1985. S. J. Phillips, London, 1987. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The top and sides of this snuffbox are enamelled with rustic scenes of childhood. The top scene is taken from a painting by Jean-Baptiste Greuze La lecture de la Bible, a sentimental painting first shown to great acclaim at the Paris salon of 1755. The box is made by Pierre-Jean Bellanger, the son of a master goldsmith. The identity of the enameller is as yet unclear. It resembles a box formerly in the collection of Lord Rothschild, with enamels signed by Louis-Philippe Demay. However, other similar enamels are found signed Maillée or Demailly and boxes marked for Demay sometimes bear no enamels or are enamelled in a different style. 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 | Truman, Charles.The Gilbert Collection of Gold Boxes, Vol. I. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1991, cat. no. 15, pp. 60-3. ISBN.0875871623 |
| Other numbers |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.325-2008 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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