Skip to main content

Snuff box: PER.M.356 & A-1923

An image of Snuff box

Terms of use

These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.

Download this image

Creative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.

Alternative views

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Obrisset, John (Possibly)

Entities

Categories

Description

Oval, horn box pressed with a vignette of Alexander the Great standing before the kneeling family of Darius III

Horn, carved and pressed. Oval with straight sides. The top of the pull-off lid depicting Alexander the Great accompanied by his lieutenant, Ephesion, visiting the mourning family of the defeated Persian king Darius III after the battle of Issus; beneath, in relief, is the legend 'Sui victoria indicat Regem'. Inside the lid and base are the pressed initials 'OB' within four concentric oval rings.

Legal notes

Spencer George Perceval Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 2.6 cm
Length: 10.3 cm
Width: 8.3 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1922) by Perceval, Spencer George

Dating

18th Century, Early#
1705 CE - 1728 CE

Note

John Obrisset was the son of a Huguenot ivory worker from Dieppe. With his family he emigrated to England circa 1686, and flourished from 1705 to 1728.

School or Style

English

People, subjects and objects depicted

Materials used in production

Horn

Techniques used in production

Carving : The base, sides and lid were carved from horn. The pieces were then heated and pressed to form flat sheets, moulding or pressed patterns before being glued to form a box, which was then stained, possibly to resemble bronze.
Staining
Pressing
Heating

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: Sui victoria indicat Regem

  • Location: On the lid
  • Method of creation: Pressed
  • Text: OB
  • Location: Inside the lid and in the base
  • Method of creation: Pressed
  • Type: Maker's mark

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: PER.M.356 & A-1923
Primary reference Number: 150649
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 16 August 2019 Last processed: Thursday 7 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Snuff box" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/150649 Accessed: 2024-11-05 16:45:00

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/150649 |title=Snuff box |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-05 16:45:00|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-150649

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:

<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa24/PER_M_356_1923_20_281_29.jpg"
        alt="Snuff box"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Snuff box</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>
    

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...