MARK OF JEAN-CHARLES-SIMPHORIEN DUBOS, PARIS, 1750

Details

A LOUIS XV GOLD AND ENAMEL SNUFF-BOX
MARK OF JEAN-CHARLES-SIMPHORIEN DUBOS, PARIS, 1750
Rectangular, enamelled with translucent blue basse-taille scenes of villages within garlands of foliage and enamelled en plein flowers against a ground finely engraved with shells, marked on interior base, cover, and side with charge, date-letter (K) and maker's mark; on the flange with decharge and later French control mark
2 5⁄8 in. (6.8 cm.) long
gross weight 4 oz. 17 dwt. (151 gr.)

Provenance

Neville Hamwee (1907-1988), Jersey.
Jaime Ortiz-Patiño (1930-2013).
The Jaime Ortiz-Patiño Collection, Part II; Christie's, London, 27 November 1973, lot 17.
with Wartski, London.
Acquired from the above by the Blaquier-Arrieta Family.

Literature

A. K. Snowman, Eighteenth Century Gold Boxes of Paris: A Catalogue of the J. Ortiz-Patiño Collection, London, 1974, p. 49, cat. no. 19.
A. K. Snowman, Eighteenth Century Gold Boxes of Europe, London, 1990 ed., pls. 281-283.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

Jean-Charles-Simphorien Dubos was born in 1719, the son of a master founder whilst his mother came from a family of master locksmiths. Dubos became master in 1748 in view of his status as orfèvre privilégié at the Manufacture des Gobelins. He appears to have been very close to contemporary gold box makers such as Ducrollay, Tiron and Frémin.

Interestingly Dubos' mark has been confused with that of Jean-Charles Ducrollay's registered in 1755. Therefore, boxes produced by Dubos between 1755 and 1766 have often been mistakenly attributed to Ducrollay. However Nocq notes that Dubos submitted more gold to be hallmarked than Ducrollay proving that he had a larger output.

This box which combines enamel en plein and enamel basse-taille is comparable to the Jean-François Garand snuff-box also dated 1750, sold in Irene Roosevelt Aitken: The Library, Bedrooms and Objects of Vertu, Christie's, New York, 13 February 2026, lot 507.

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