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Snuffbox

1754–55
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 545
This gold and enamel snuffbox is an example of the exuberant Rococo motifs that found their way onto a variety of luxury items, including these small cases for holding nasal tobacco that became popular during the eighteenth century. Marked by the goldsmith Noël Hardivillers, the box is decorated on the lid with a charming vignette that features an overturned basket of flowers tied with a blue ribbon, surrounded by S-shaped scrolls and shell motifs engraved into the surrounding surface and heightened with translucent enamel en basse taille, a goldsmith technique that entails engraving or chasing the surface of the metal with a design and then covering it with a layer of translucent enamel, in a similar manner to another snuffbox by Hardivillers in the museum (1976.155.5).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Snuffbox
  • Maker: Noël Hardivillers (French, master 1729, died 1779)
  • Date: 1754–55
  • Culture: French, Paris
  • Medium: Gold, enamel
  • Dimensions: Overall: 3 1/8 × 2 15/16 × 1 1/2 in. (7.9 × 7.5 × 3.8 cm)
  • Classifications: Metalwork-Gold and Platinum, Miniatures
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1976
  • Object Number: 1976.155.6
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
Snuffbox, Noël Hardivillers, Gold, enamel, French, Paris
Snuffbox
Noël Hardivillers
Scenes after paintings by François Boucher
1753–54
Snuffbox (part of a set), Noël Hardivillers, Rock crystal, gold, French, Paris
Snuffbox (part of a set)
Noël Hardivillers
1728–30
Costume Armor in the Classical Style, Hallé French, Helmet: linen, papier-mâché, bole, gold leaf, graphite; tunic: silk, cotton, metal coils and spangles, metallic yarn, French, Paris
Costume Armor in the Classical Style
Helmet includes original paper label of Hallé
ca. 1788–90
Snuffbox, Mathieu Coiny fils, Gold, enamel, gem stones, French, Paris
Snuffbox
Mathieu Coiny fils
Purveyor Jean-Baptiste Beckers
1759–60
Coffeepot, François Thomas Germain French, Silver with ebony handle, French, Paris
Coffeepot
François Thomas Germain
1757

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