Snuffbox with the miniature of "Lake Geneva"
Snuffbox with the miniature of "Lake Geneva"
Russia, Saint Petersburg
Circa 1800
Gold, enamel, pearls; translucent enamel over engraving (basse-taille), painted enamel, champlevé enamel, engine-turning (guilloché)
2.1 x 8.3 x 5.55 cm, 142 g
Marks: on the rim (bezel) – "56" gold fineness standard mark in rectangular shield; poorly struck master's mark in rectangular shield, most likely "I.Z" (I.З); St. Petersburg city mark depicting "two crossed anchors and a scepter" corresponding to the 1776-1825 period. Also on the rim – two later (post-1838) French "owl" marks in an oval shield for items imported in France, and one unidentified defaced mark
Gold and enamel rectangular snuffbox with rounded corners, featuring a hinged lid. The top of the lid is decorated with an inset rectangular miniature showing a panoramic view of Lake Geneva: the foreground depicts shepherds with a herd of cows, boats are seen on the water's surface, and the snow-capped Mont Blanc massif rises in the background. The painted inlay is framed by a closed setting of natural pearls. The side walls and the bottom of the body feature rectangular reserves filled with translucent blue enamel over an engine-turned (guilloché) background. On the bottom of the snuffbox, the central enamel reserve is enclosed within an elegant frame with stylized floral ornament; similar elements of floral decor adorn the canted corners of the body.
1606/ДПИ