Tortoiseshell snuffboxes of this slightly flattened spherical form were known in the eighteenth century as boîtes en ballon, as revealed by an entry dated 9 August 1749 in the marchand mercier Lazare Duvaux’s Livre-Journal that lists the repair of “une boïte d”écaille en ballon, remonté sur la garniture’ for the marquise de La Blache.
This snuffbox may be attributed to Tomaso Tagliaferro on the basis of a spinning wheel signed by the master that not only is made of the less frequently used blond tortoiseshell but also shows a similar approach in the composition of the piqué point and posé elements. It has been suggested that these designs were inspired by silk fabrics woven in Genoa in the decade preceding the creation of this box.

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