Snuffboxes and Сigarette Сases

Gold snuffbox depicting a putto, with detachable lid

    Gold snuffbox depicting a putto, with detachable lid

    France, Paris

    1717–1722

    Mother-of-pearl, gold; carving, piqué (dotted inlay), chasing, matted ground

    2.1 x 7.6 cm, 86 g

    Parisian mark 1717-1722, countermark of Charles Cordier 1722–1726, “covered cup” mark (needle) of the Maison Commune

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    The gold snuffbox features a cylindrical body with a polished side surface and a detachable lid with a smooth gold rim. Under the lid, there is a tobacco compartment with marks on the mirror-polished surface. The surfaces of the lid and the bottom panel of the base are made of mother-of-pearl and decorated with an ornament of gold dots obtained by the piqué method. Piqué (from the French piqué — “quilted”) is an inlay method in which holes are pierced with a heated needle into the surface of the material, in this case, mother-of-pearl. Pieces of thin gold or silver wire are vertically inserted into these holes, after which the excess metal is filed away and the surface is polished. On the insert in the center of the lid with an openwork framing in the form of scrolls and plants, a putto is depicted sitting under a tree and playing a pipe. The ornament on the bottom panel is executed in the form of a circular medallion filled with flower petals and dots.


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    1799.1-2PC635/ДПИ