The decoration of this snuffbox, like that of the previous and following examples, is illustrative of the delight Parisian goldsmiths took in the recently introduced technique of engine-turning on precious metals. While there is evidence of engine-turned decoration on silver pieces dating to the late seventeenth century, its use on gold in Paris appears to have begun in the later 1730s. The technique was certainly used on a box by Jean Ducrollay dated 1739–1740. It is thought that, at least at this early stage, the turned decoration was executed by an outside specialist rather than in the goldsmith’s workshop. Records yield the names of Gorin, Girod and Blanchet as turners in the 1750s and 1760s; however, their work cannot be specifically attributed. In the Gilbert Collection, London, there is a double-opening snuffbox by Ducrollay made in the same year as the present example, of similar shape and also decorated with two patterns of engine-turning. The distinctive ingot form, almost exactly a double cube, was first used for snuffboxes at this date and, with slight variations of proportion, continued to be favoured in Paris and beyond for more than two decades.

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