BY PIERRE-ANDRÉ MONTAUBAN (FL. 1800-1822), MARKED, WITH THE RESTRICTED WARRANTY MARK FOR GOLD PARIS 1798-1809, THE SMALL CENSUS MARK FOR GOLD PARIS 1809-1819 AND THE UNOFFICIAL PARISIAN POST-REVOLUTIONARY STANDARD MARK FOR 20.5-CARAT GOLD, LATER STRUCK WITH TWO PARISIAN POST-1838 RESTRICTED WARRANTY MARKS FOR GOLD, THE MICROMOSAIC IN THE MANNER OF NICOLA ALBACCINI OF ROME

Details

A FINE FRENCH PARCEL-ENAMELLED GOLD SNUFF-BOX SET WITH A ROMAN MICROMOSAIC
by Pierre-André Montauban (fl. 1800-1822), marked, with the restricted warranty mark for gold Paris 1798-1809, the small census mark for gold Paris 1809-1819 and the unofficial Parisian post-Revolutionary standard mark for 20.5-carat gold, later struck with two Parisian post-1838 restricted warranty marks for gold, the micromosaic in the manner of Nicola Albaccini of Rome
Rectangular gold box with rounded corners, the cover inset with a rectangular micromosaic plaque depicting a dog barking at a swan in a mountainous lakeside landscape, framed by a narrow stamped stylized acanthus border surrounded by a blue enamel fillet, the four rectangular side panels and base panel within similar enamel borders and containing a pattern of engine-turned concentric circles with stylized flowerheads at the intersections, the panel on the base centred by an oval polished gold reserve within blue enamelled border, the outer broad sablé borders stamped with trailing vine foliage and anthemion spandrels in the corners, plain gold rims
3¼ in. (83 mm.) wide

Provenance

Christie's, New York, 23 October 1984, lot 447.
Christie's, Geneva, 14 May 1985, lot 8.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Further details

END OF SALE

Lot Essay

Pierre-André Montauban appears to have specialised in the production of gold-mounted micromosaic, tortoiseshell and hardstone boxes. Two boxes by him incorporating micromosaics are in the Gilbert Collection, London, illustrated in J. Hanisee Gabriel, The Gilbert Collection. Micromosaics, London, 2000, nos. 27 and 137, and another one is in the Louvre, illustrated in S. Grandjean, Les tabatières du musée du Louvre, Paris, 1981, no. 331.
A micromosaic depicting the same scene was sold Sotheby's, London, 28 April 1988, lot 193, and another one, on a French snuff-box, is illustrated in S. Bursche, Galanterien, Berlin, 1996, no. 68.

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