Spanish tortoise shell snuff box with vignette

An image of Snuff box. Objets de vertu. Piqué work. Unknown maker, Spain. Circular with straight sides decorated with a geometric pattern of silver scale-work and gold flowerheads; the moulded borders decorated with silver and gold ropework. The top of the flat pull-off lid has a vignette made of beads depicting a tree and flowers beside an oval cartouche containing the entwined initials 'CC' beneath a crown held by a mother-of-pearl cherub. There is a gilt metal mount in the base, but the mount from the lid is missing. Tortoise shell sides inlaid with gold and silver piqué work; glass lid and base; the lid with applied carved mother-of-pearl, pearls and beads of turquoise, emerald, sapphire, garnet (or coloured glass) and bone. Height, whole, 2.2 cm, diameter, whole, 6.6 cm, circa 1788.
Production Note: The lid of the box had the applied inscription 'Coronamiento de Carlos IV', which was lost some time before 21 August 2007, but which dates the box to the year of Carlos IV's coronation or shortly after, and indicates the box was probably made in Spain. (The word 'coronamiento' is an early form of the word 'coronation').

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Snuff box. Objets de vertu. Piqué work. Unknown maker, Spain. Circular with straight sides decorated with a geometric pattern of silver scale-work and gold flowerheads; the moulded borders decorated with silver and gold ropework. The top of the flat pull-off lid has a vignette made of beads depicting a tree and flowers beside an oval cartouche containing the entwined initials 'CC' beneath a crown held by a mother-of-pearl cherub. There is a gilt metal mount in the base, but the mount from the lid is missing. Tortoise shell sides inlaid with gold and silver piqué work; glass lid and base; the lid with applied carved mother-of-pearl, pearls and beads of turquoise, emerald, sapphire, garnet (or coloured glass) and bone. Height, whole, 2.2 cm, diameter, whole, 6.6 cm, circa 1788. Production Note: The lid of the box had the applied inscription 'Coronamiento de Carlos IV', which was lost some time before 21 August 2007, but which dates the box to the year of Carlos IV's coronation or shortly after, and indicates the box was probably made in Spain. (The word 'coronamiento' is an early form of the word 'coronation').

Image data

Accession Number: M.79 & A-1961
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal length: 120
Camera: Hasselblad H3DII-31
Photographer name: Amy Jugg
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 984 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.0 (Windows)
Filesize: 637.27kB
Exposure time: 1/60
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 22/1
Captured: 2014:03:28 16:21:43

Key words

18th Century abalone shell beaded beading beads bone box cherubs circular container emerald Fitz_AA floral flowers garnet gem gemstones glass gold inlaid inlay lidded mother of pearl objet de vertu pearl pique work precious stones rope ropework round sapphire Silver snuff box Spanish tobacco box tortoise shell tortoise-shell tortoiseshell turquoise (mineral) turtle shell turtleshell vignette

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025)
            "Spanish tortoise shell snuff box with vignette"
            Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-214447 Accessed: 2025-12-05 09:44:05

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            {{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-214447
            |title=Spanish tortoise shell snuff box with vignette
            |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 09:44:05|publisher=The
            University of Cambridge}}

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Spanish tortoise shell snuff box with vignette</figcaption>
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