The demeanour of the recumbent figures in the chased vignettes is more that of resting huntsmen than soldiers, and is thus somewhat at odds with the potent attributes of war – cannons, cannonballs, drums and standards – that lie beside them. Charles Truman has noted that the fashion in France for snuffboxes decorated with military themes, of which this work is an example, corresponds with the period of the Seven Years’ War, 1756–1763. The terms of the Treaty of Paris that concluded the war did little for the glory of France, and this undoubtedly encouraged exploration of new themes, such as snuffboxes à la grecque.

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