The snuffbox features a flat, rectangular body with chamfered vertical edges and a hinged top lid. The central place on the outer surface of the lid is occupied by a golden engraved hexagon decorated with an engraved, two-part image of a sunflower on a matted ground. An octagonal frame with two sliding shutters is inscribed into the hexagon. An engraved image of a closed urn, surrounded by garlands of flowers and acanthus leaves, is placed on the shutters. To the right and left of the urn, extinguished torches entwined with garlands of flowers are depicted, with birds perched upon them. The automaton is located behind the shutters. The upper, lower, and side surfaces of the snuffbox are decorated with fields of royal blue translucent enamel over a guilloché background, surrounded by a geometric ornament composed of golden arcs, white and light blue enamel triangles. On the chamfered side facets, there are engraved images of urns with bouquets of flowers on a light blue background on the body and on a black background on the lid. The inner surfaces of the snuffbox are mirror-polished. Struck on the inner surface of the lid and the body are the maker's marks in the form of a letter “M” under a crown. On the rear wall of the body, there is a lever for turning on the automaton. When the mechanism is started, the shutters on the lid slide apart, revealing a view of a forge with a painted background. Three cupids work in the forge. One of them manages the forge bellows, another forges arrowheads on an anvil, and the third cupid sharpens arrows on a grindstone. The spring of the mechanism is wound with a key inserted into a hole on the rear panel of the automaton. A winding key is included in the set.

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