Gold snuffbox with a female portrait
Gold snuffbox with a female portrait
France, Paris
1774–1775
Master René-Antoine Bailleul, miniature painted by artist George Engleheart
Varicolored gold, ivory, glass; chasing, engine-turning (guilloché), engraving, painting
3.2 x 6.7 x 5 cm, 101 g
On the interior surface – master's mark "RAB" stamped twice; tax farmer's mark – Julien Alaterre (active 1768-1774); Paris date letter "L" under a crown (corresponding to 1774–1775). On the rim (bezel) – a later mark of tax farmer Jean-Baptiste Fouache (active 1774-1780) and the numbers "774"
Oval-shaped varicoloured gold snuffbox featuring a hinged lid that conceals a tobacco compartment with mirror-polished interior surfaces. The body of the item is decorated with regular engine-turning and raised chased ornaments. Inset into the center of the lid beneath a protective glass is an oval medallion within a triple ornamental frame, containing a bust-length portrait of a lady. She is depicted wearing a powdered wig under a cap with blue trim and black ribbon; black lace mantilla (shawl) is draped over white ruffled blouse, and her neck is adorned with a pearl necklace.
The bottom of the snuffbox features engine-turned pattern of wavy lines enclosed within chased acanthus borders. The rims of the lid, the base of the bottom, and side walls of the box along the entire perimeter are accentuated by decorative band with raised floral ornament.
2261/ДПИ