Gold snuffbox with carved tortoiseshell miniatures
Gold snuffbox with carved tortoiseshell miniatures
Italy, Naples
Circa 1740
Tortoiseshell, gold; carving, casting, polishing
3.5 x 7.5 x 5.4 cm
Illegible signature on the carved image on the lid, one on the horse's rump, the second under the gold mount. Illegible mark, two French eagle's head marks (1847–1919), engraving: “A 345”, the upper part of a partially hidden inscription is engraved on the tortoiseshell plate: “…DOCCOLA NAP”
The oval-shaped gold snuffbox features a hinged lid. The inner surfaces of the lid and the base are mirror-polished. The body of the snuffbox is enclosed in a carved openwork tortoiseshell shell. On the lid, there is a battle scene with a dynamic image of horsemen and defeated infantrymen, possibly inspired by the works of the Franco-Italian battle genre master Jacques Courtois (12.02.1621–14.11.1676) or the French battle artist Charles Parrocel (06.05.1688–25.05.1752). The bottom panel depicts a female figure—an allegory of victory, seated on fasces surrounded by banners, enclosed in an oval gold profiled frame. The side surface is formed by tightly spaced curved S-shaped scrolls.
1380MC46/ДПИ