Oval snuffbox with enamel miniatures
Oval snuffbox with enamel miniatures
France, Paris
1778
Charles-Alexandre Bouillerot
Gold, enamel, metal; painted enamel, stippling, chasing, grisaille
Length: 6.7 cm
Stamped on the polished interior surfaces – mark of Charles-Alexandre Bouillerot, date letter "P", poorly legible French gold hallmarks. Engraved on the rim is a French inscription: "Du Petit Dunkerque" ("From the Little Dunkirk"), indicating that the snuffbox was sold by the Parisian luxury trinket shop "Au Petit Dunkerque". Other hallmarks feature a crown-surmounted master's mark "CBA" and several illegible marks (Paris city mark and an assay mark) .
Oval gold case featuring a hinged lid, decorated with enamel miniatures. The miniatures on the lid, bottom, and side walls are executed in the grisaille technique, naturalistically imitating the dendritic pattern of moss agate against delicate pale pink background, all enclosed within rows of opaque white enamel beadwork. In addition to the enamel beads, the oval images on the lid and bottom of the snuffbox are surrounded by stippled rings engraved with floral elements and complemented by translucent red and green enamel inlays. The spaces between the rectangular monochrome images on the side panels are filled with similar decorative elements.
2885MC380/ДПИ