Snuffbox
ca. 1750 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The precise origins of this box are unclear. It was probably made in Germany in the mid 18th century. Other boxes of similar decoration, however, have French mounts, suggesting that German-made plaques like those upon this box were also imported to France and mounted by Parisian goldsmiths.
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, coral and mother of pearl. |
| Brief description | Gold, shell, coral, Germany, ca.1750 |
| Physical description | Rectangular gold snuffbox set with six panels of engraved mother-of-pearl, encrusted with coloured shell and coral set in gold depicting, on the cover, a peacock and a parrot in a Chinoiserie landscape, and on the walls and base, exotic mythical birds and similarly fantastic landscapes, mounted in gold chased with reeding and interlocked teardrops. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | No marks |
| 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, New York, 16 October 1985, lot 373. Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1996. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The precise origins of this box are unclear. It was probably made in Germany in the mid 18th century. Other boxes of similar decoration, however, have French mounts, suggesting that German-made plaques like those upon this box were also imported to France and mounted by Parisian goldsmiths. 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. 16, p. 34. ISBN.0856675210 |
| Other numbers |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.409-2008 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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