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Snuffbox

Myer Myers American
1760–70
Not on view
American snuffboxes fashioned of gold are extremely rare. On this example, the cover is decorated with an image depicting the biblical scene described in 1 Samuel 16:19-21. Here David appears before Saul, presenting the donkey laden with offerings of bread, wine, and a kid. The soliders in the background refer to David as the bearer of Saul's armor. Also notable are the two columns in the background, which possibly carry Masonic associations. Double columns often represent the two pillars of King Solomon's Temple, a central Masonic image. Myers was a founding member and senior warden of King David's Masonic Lodge, established in New york City in 1769, the first exclusively Jewish lodge in Colonial America.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Snuffbox
  • Maker: Myer Myers (1723–1795)
  • Date: 1760–70
  • Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Gold
  • Dimensions: 1 1/16 x 2 7/16 x 2 3/8 in., 81.3 Grams (2.7 x 6.2 x 6 cm, 2.614 Troy Ounces)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall P. Blankarn Gift, 1966
  • Object Number: 66.102
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

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Basket, Myer Myers American, Silver, American
Basket
Myer Myers
1770–76
Two-handled Bowl, Cornelius Kierstede American, Silver, American
Two-handled Bowl
Cornelius Kierstede
1700–1710
Snuffbox, Vienna, Hard-paste porcelain, gold, Austrian, Vienna
Snuffbox
Manufactory Vienna
Factory director Claudius Innocentius Du Paquier period
ca. 1735
Creampot, Myer Myers American, Silver, American
Creampot
Myer Myers
1772–76
Snuffbox, Meissen Manufactory German, Hard-paste porcelain, gold, German, Meissen
Snuffbox
Manufactory Meissen Manufactory
ca. 1755

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