Snuffboxes and Сigarette Сases

Smelling-salts bottle

    Smelling-salts bottle

    Germany

    Circa 1750

    Gold, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, shell

    7.6 × 3.8 × 2.2 cm

    further...

    In the choice of materials, conception and execution this scent bottle may be compared with a small group of snuffboxes, including examples in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, the Gilbert Collection, London, and a private collection. All certainly originate from the same workshop; however, the identity of the master and indeed even where the workshop was located is uncertain. A possible clue may be found in the joyous exuberance of the design, which is reminiscent of the rococo fantasies conceived by the Wallonia-born Bavarian architect Jean François de Cuvilliés (1695–1769), such as seen in Livre nouveau de morceaux de fantaisie, published circa 1752–1754. An argument for a south German origin could be further supported by the use of tortoiseshell – the Bavarian city of Augsburg, as well as being a major centre for silversmiths, was also noted for work in tortoiseshell, where it was used, among other things, as a veneer for table clocks, a speciality of the city at this date.

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    9670.1-2MC963/ДПИ