There is little doubt that this box dates from the middle of the eighteenth century, but there has been some discussion as to whether it is of Russian or German origin. The elaborate cartouche shape is familiar in German boxes of the period and particularly in those from Berlin, but can also be found in Russian silver-gilt and niello boxes of the same period. These are often decorated, with the high rococo ornament incorporating fountains, parks or architectural elements associated with the widely available designs of Johann Esaias Nilson (1721–1788), so an attribution to Germany on decorative grounds is uncertain. On the other hand, they are unlikely to have come from Tula where the ornament, even on snuffboxes, tended to be militaristic, with stylised trophies of arms and galloping cavalry as befitted Imperial armourers.

minimize...