Souvenir

mid-18th century

Not on view

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.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

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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