Snuffbox with a portrait of a young lady
Snuffbox with a portrait of a young lady
France, Paris
1787–1788
Master Blerzy, J.; Miniature by Nicholas Claude Vassel
Enamel, gold; enamel, guilloché, engraving, painted enamel
2.6 x 8.3 x 5.9 cm, 127 g
Manufacturer's mark J.E.B., Paris assay office date marks - 1787-1788, marks of tax charging and payment executed by Henry Clavel, 1782-1789. Other marks: upper and lower inner lids with three marks, as well as the lower inner wall, lower left rear inner edge with number 981 and two marks, right rear side with one mark; two French import marks for gold issued after 1864.
The hinged top lid of the oval gold body with a flat bottom is decorated with an oval medallion featuring an enamel insert. The insert depicts a painted portrait of a young woman in a white dress, with a white muslin veil and flowers in her swept-up hair. The general decor of the snuffbox consists of alternating translucent blue bands over a guilloché field and white champlevé enamel bands. The oval decorated fields on the upper and lower surfaces and the band on the lid rim are surrounded by a gold regular foliate ornament against a translucent blue background. The plaques on the outer side surface, surrounded by gold chased frames, are separated by gold engraved inserts depicting vases on which pairs of doves are perched. The inner surfaces of the snuffbox are mirror-polished.
2305PC94/ДПИ