Snuffbox with a portrait of Empress Joséphine
Snuffbox with a portrait of Empress Joséphine
France, Paris
1805–1809
Master: Adrien-Jean-Maximilien Vachette; Miniature artist: J. Isabey
Gold, enamel, ivory, glass; chasing, matting (pounced work), engine-turning (guilloché), painting, enamel on carving (engraving)
2 x 7.9 x 5.6 cm
Master's mark; Paris guarantee marks for small gold items for 1798–1809 and 1809–1819; Paris guarantee mark for 1795–1797; the miniature is signed by the artist: Jsabey; goldsmith's mark: a cock, two grains, AV within a lozenge; Paris mark for 1795–1797 and later: a cherub’s head, 2 within an oval; Paris mark for 1798–1809: a cock’s head
A rectangular gold snuffbox with canted corners and a hinged lid. The lid is mounted with an oval miniature featuring a portrait of Empress Joséphine, the first wife of Napoleon I Bonaparte. The remaining space on the lid is decorated with a floral ornament at the top and cornucopias at the bottom, crossed beneath a medallion bearing the monogram J. The walls and base of the snuffbox are decorated with engine-turned (guilloché) geometric pattern, floral and enamel bands, and stylized columns at the corners.
1104MC29/ДПИ