Box

1781–82

Not on view

Beginning in the 1750s French goldsmiths introduced subtle colors into their gold boxes by using various types of gold. This box as well as the one for rouge and patches on display nearby has applied ornament in greenish and reddish gold, achieved by the addition of metal oxides to the alloy. This bonbonnière, used for sweets, is decorated with incised and applied dots that play on the shape of the circular box. The finely incised lines were created by turning the box against a cutting edge while it was mounted on a lathe.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Box
Maker: François-Nicolas Chevance (apprenticed 1766, master 1780, active 1793)
Date: 1781–82
Culture: French, Paris
Medium: Gold
Dimensions: 3 3/8 × 2 3/8 in. (8.6 × 6 cm)
Classification: Metalwork-Gold and Platinum
Credit Line: Bequest of Catherine D. Wentworth, 1948
Object Number: 48.187.476a, b
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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