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Spanish tortoise shell snuff box with vignette

Image attached to M.79 & A-1961

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

Colours in this image

rgb(53,52,49), rgb(175,174,169), rgb(106,108,102), rgb(117,100,70), rgb(87,74,63), rgb(247,248,248), rgb(173,150,105), rgb(141,119,103), rgb(225,210,183), rgb(41,166,178), rgb(210,220,210)

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The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Spanish tortoise shell snuff box with vignette" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-214449 Accessed: 2024-03-28 10:09:18

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-214449 |title=Spanish tortoise shell snuff box with vignette |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-03-28 10:09:18|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa40/m_79_20_26_20a_1961_1_201404_amt49_dc2.jpg"
        alt="Snuff box"
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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Spanish tortoise shell snuff box with vignette</figcaption>
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