MARK OF JEAN SAINT (1698-1769), AMSTERDAM, 1731; WITH DUTCH DUTY MARK AND LATER FRENCH CONTROL MARK

This box is one of the finest examples of Dutch gold chasing. Jean Saint was born in Saint Lo, Normandy, France circa 1698. In 1723 he married Maria Duzy born in Bremen circa 1699 and registered his mark the following year with the Dutch goldsmiths' guild. They had two sons, Guillaume and Jean Daniël, who both would become jewellers in the 1750s. Saint owes part of his fame to the workmen he used to make the lids of his boxes, such as Philippe Métayer of Rouen (1693-1763) with whom Saint made in 1727 a snuff-box chased with King Minos judged by Apollo, formerly on loan to the Goud, Zilver en Klokkenmuseum, 1982; sold at Christie's Amsterdam, 9 September 1982, lot 223. Another is Saint's son-in-law François Thuret (1716-after 1751), with whom he made in 1749 the gold-mounted tortoiseshell box presented by the West India Company to Prince William IV (NG-NM-824 - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam). Although the chasing on our box is unsigned, the superb quality of the chasing and the French influence, which Saint followed closely through his contacts in the Huguenot community, suggest that it is the work of a Huguenot, possibly Métayer or Thuret.

The scene on the cover depicts Venus mourning at the tomb of Adonis, whilst she rejects the feigned sadness of Mars. This is a lesser known version to that in Ovid's Metamorphoses, where Adonis is killed by a boar, as opposed to Mars. The source is Gerard de Lairesse's Groot Schilderboek (1701 and later publications) popular in Holland in the 18th century. This scene is used by De Lairesse in his treaty to demonstrate the rules for painting small and large-figured scenes and the different uses of light and shadow. These prints were executed by Guilliam van der Gouwen after designs by Philip Tideman. The designer of the scene on the cover of the box clearly follows De Lairesse's recommendations. Light plays an important role and limits the number of artifacts in this small-scale scene, omitting the shield and spear of Mars and most of the attributes of Venus and Cupid. Even the personification of Jealousy, whom in Van der Gouwen's print appears from behind the commemorative column, is left out. However, the designer did follow De Lairesse's suggestion of letting a red anemone sprout from Adonis' urn.

Venus mourning Adonis, by Gerard de Lairesse, circa 1670 © Rijksstudio