Commemorative snuffbox with a portrait of Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
Commemorative snuffbox with a portrait of Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
Germany, Hanau
Circa 1861
Charles Collins & Söhne
Gold, enamel, ivory (miniature); chasing, stippling, carving, champlevé enamel, painting
4.1 x 9.1 x 6.4 cm
Mark of the firm – "CCS" in a lozenge (Charles Collins & Sons); master's mark – "CR" (?) in oval
Shaped gold snuffbox on molded base, featuring a hinged lid. Inset into the center of the lid is a circular miniature showing a bust-length portrait of King Wilhelm I of Prussia (1797–1888) wearing a Prussian general’s uniform, created after a 1840s original by Franz Krüger. The image is enclosed within a circular frame engraved with the German motto: "DEM VERDIENSTE SEINE KRONE" ("To merit its crown" / "Each according to their merits"), derived from Friedrich Schiller’s ode "Ode to Joy" (1785). The surrounding field of the lid, the side walls of the body, and the bottom of the snuffbox are completely filled with chased floral and geometric ornaments and decorated with champlevé blue enamel inlays.
1628MC31/ДПИ