Skip to main content

Snuff box: M.74 & A-1961

An image of Snuff box
View image details

Terms of use

The low-resolution images published on this Website are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY-NC-ND). For more details: Fitzwilliam Terms of Use

This licence does not include any images of works that are still in copyright. Artistic copyright extends from the life of the artist to 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the artist died.

Download this image

For further information on use of images or to license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who can discuss terms and fees.

Alternative views

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

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Circular, tortoise shell box, the lid inlaid with silver piqué work and mother-of-pearl dancers and a group of musicians

Tortoise shell inlaid with silver and mother-of-pearl piqué work. Circular with straight sides and moulded borders. The top of the slightly domed pull-off lid is decorated with a vignette of three dancers and a group of musicians within a rococo border of scrolling foliage and flowers. The silver rim mount (which is now detached) is inscribed 'C.A.S. 1840-1940 LOUIS CLARKE PRESIDENT FROM THE COUNCIL'.

Notes

History note: Not known before testator

Legal notes

L.C.G. Clarke Bequest, 1960

Measurements and weight

Diameter: 9 cm
Height: 3.4 cm

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

18th Century
1720 CE - 1760 CE

School or Style

French

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Box composed of tortoise shell
Inlay composed of mother-of-pearl silver
Piqué Work

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: C.A.S. 1840-1940 LOUIS CLARKE PRESIDENT FROM THE COUNCIL
  • Location: On the silver rim mount
  • Method of creation: Engraved
  • Type: Inscription

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.74 & A-1961
Primary reference Number: 150684

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 29 April 2024

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 (2026) "Snuff box" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/150684 Accessed: 2026-01-16 17:34:05

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/150684 |title=Snuff box |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2026-01-16 17:34:05|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-150684

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/M_74_1961_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...

University of Cambridge Museums logo
Cambridge City Council logo
Arts Council England Logo
Research England logo