Souvenir
In eighteenth-century Europe, Paris led the production of high-quality luxury goods. Parisian goldsmiths made a wide range of small, personal articles such as snuffboxes; étuis to hold sealing wax, tweezers, or utensils for sewing; souvenirs, which contained thin ivory tablets for note taking; and shuttles for knotting lace. Gold snuffboxes, boxes, and objets de luxe were skillfully made of gold and embellished with diamonds, enameled decoration, lacquer, and other luxurious materials.
This souvenir contains a mirror, four ivory leaves, gold-mounted pencil, and six narrow, velvet-lined compartments for implements.
This souvenir contains a mirror, four ivory leaves, gold-mounted pencil, and six narrow, velvet-lined compartments for implements.
Artwork Details
- Title: Souvenir
- Date: mid-18th century
- Culture: British or French
- Medium: Gold, agate
- Dimensions: 3 7/8 × 2 1/8 in. (9.8 × 5.4 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork-Gold and Platinum
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
- Object Number: 17.190.1310a, b
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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