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Snuff box: M.73-1961

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An image of Snuff box
An image of Snuff box
An image of Snuff box
Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Goldsmith: George (Possibly)

Entities

Categories

Description

Tortoise shell and gold; shaped rectangular with a gold piqué work Chinoiserie vignette

Tortoise shell and gold; the shaped rectangular gold box has a hinged lid. The lid and base are set with tortoise shell plaques within moulded gold borders. The tortoise shell lid is decorated with a gold piqué work Chinoiserie vignette of a man in Oriental dress with two dwarves, one playing a horn and the other with an exotic bird, on a staircase and surrounded by exotic trees and flowers. The base is similarly decorated with a smaller vignette of hoho bird and tree.

Notes

History note: Bought at The Hague in July 1902

Legal notes

L.C.G. Clarke Bequest, 1960

Measurements and weight

Height: 1.4 cm
Length: 8.3 cm
Width: 6.4 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1960-12-13) by Clarke, Louis Colville Gray

Dating

18th Century, Early
Louis XIV or Louis XV
After 1717 - Circa 1722

School or Style

French

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Base composed of tortoise shell
Lid composed of tortoise shell
Box composed of gold
Piqué Work composed of gold

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: george - á paris
  • Location: On the edge of the base
  • Method of creation: Engraved
  • Type: Retailer's name

Inscription present: a fleur-de-lis in a lozenge-shaped cartouche

  • Location: On the side of the lid and the base
  • Method of creation: Struck

Inscription present: a dolphin in a triangular cartouche

  • Location: On the side of the lid and the base
  • Method of creation: Struck
  • Text: 63
  • Location: On the inside of the lid
  • Method of creation: Printed in black and glued
  • Type: Paper label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.73-1961
Primary reference Number: 150683

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Thursday 20 September 2012

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 (2025) "Snuff box" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/150683 Accessed: 2025-12-05 06:58:08

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/150683 |title=Snuff box |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 06:58:08|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-150683

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Snuff box</figcaption>
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