BY CLAUDE PERRON (FL. 1750-1777), MARKED, PARIS, 1759/1760, WITH THE CHARGE AND DISCHARGE MARKS OF ÉLOY BRICHARD 1756-1762, INVENTORY NUMBER 369, THE ENAMEL MINIATURE SIGNED ON THE OBVERSE 'hamelin' AND SIGNED AND DATED ON THE COUNTER-ENAMEL 'hamelin. 1757.'

Hamelin's signed enamel miniatures are extremely rare. There appear to be only three other recorded snuff-boxes incorporating signed works by his hand. Two of them are mounted on boxes by Jean Ducrollay, one in the Wallace Collection (illustrated in R. Savill, The Wallace Collection - French Gold Boxes, London, 1991, no. 6) and a second one, dated 1758, is in the collection of the Taft Museum, Cincinnati (illustrated in C. Le Corbeiller, European and American Snuff-Boxes 1730-1830, London, 1966, no. 84). The third one, also signed and dated 1758, formerly in the Louis Surmont Collection, Paris, was sold Christie's Geneva, 19 May 1998, lot 225, and is now in the Gilbert Collection, London, inv. no. 1996.371 (GB228). For a comprehensive discussion of Hamelin's work, see F. J. B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, Greenwich CT., 1970, III, pp. 156-157.
Claude Perron worked by Royal privilege as a goldsmith at the Gobelins from 1750 and attained the maîtrise in 1758. He was a warden of the corporation and died in 1777.