Table snuffbox

Niello scenes after a print entitled Naufrage (Shipwreck) by Jacques de Lajoüe French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 521

The niello, a preeminently important Russian technique of decorating silver, follows the print Naufrage by Jacques de Lajoue (1687–1761), published in Paris in 1736 and integrated into a pattern book. A copy was in Catherine's extensive library. The exuberant wave and shell-like rocaille formations perfectly illustrate the Central European Rococo style, referring to the turban snail's origins in the exotic Indo-Pacific Ocean. Related turban-snail cases bearing Chinese inscriptions document that they were imported into Russia from China, where they originally served as ceremonial wine cups.

Table snuffbox, Niello scenes after a print entitled Naufrage (Shipwreck) by Jacques de Lajoüe (French, Paris 1686–1761 Paris) , published in Paris 1736, Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello, Russian, probably Velikiy Ustyug

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Table snuffbox, Niello scenes after a print entitled Naufrage (Shipwreck) by Jacques de Lajoüe (French, Paris 1686–1761 Paris) , published in Paris 1736, Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello, Russian, probably Velikiy Ustyug
Table snuffbox, Niello scenes after a print entitled Naufrage (Shipwreck) by Jacques de Lajoüe (French, Paris 1686–1761 Paris) , published in Paris 1736, Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello, Russian, probably Velikiy Ustyug
Table snuffbox, Niello scenes after a print entitled Naufrage (Shipwreck) by Jacques de Lajoüe (French, Paris 1686–1761 Paris) , published in Paris 1736, Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello, Russian, probably Velikiy Ustyug
Table snuffbox, Niello scenes after a print entitled Naufrage (Shipwreck) by Jacques de Lajoüe (French, Paris 1686–1761 Paris) , published in Paris 1736, Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello, Russian, probably Velikiy Ustyug
Table snuffbox, Niello scenes after a print entitled Naufrage (Shipwreck) by Jacques de Lajoüe (French, Paris 1686–1761 Paris) , published in Paris 1736, Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello, Russian, probably Velikiy Ustyug
Table snuffbox, Niello scenes after a print entitled Naufrage (Shipwreck) by Jacques de Lajoüe (French, Paris 1686–1761 Paris) , published in Paris 1736, Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello, Russian, probably Velikiy Ustyug

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