Snuffbox
1770-1800 (made)
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| Place of origin |
Designs upon imported wares from China and Japan inspired the fashion for 'chinoiserie' throughout western Europe in the mid-eighteenth century. European craftsmen created stylised 'Chinese' scenes and motifs, developing their own artistic interpretation of Chinese styles.
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.
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 | Gold, shell, hardstones |
| Brief description | Gold, shell and hardstone, Berlin, 1770-1800 |
| Physical description | Oval snuffbox comprising ten panels of green quartz, mounted in gold engraved with paterae. The cover and walls are encrusted with shell, lapis lazuli, gold and chalcedony Chinoiserie in the French mid-eighteenth century taste. The base has a plain panel of stone. The thumbpiece is set with rubies and diamonds. |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Christie's, Geneva, 14 May 1996, lot 338. S.J. Phillips, London, 1996. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Designs upon imported wares from China and Japan inspired the fashion for 'chinoiserie' throughout western Europe in the mid-eighteenth century. European craftsmen created stylised 'Chinese' scenes and motifs, developing their own artistic interpretation of Chinese styles. 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, volume II. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., 1999, cat. no. 22, p. 43. ISBN.0856675210 |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.415-2008 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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