CIRCA 1740

Details

A GEORGE II GOLD SNUFF-BOX
CIRCA 1740
Cartouche-shaped box with baluster sides, the lid boldly chased with rocaille and flowers on sablé ground, the polished waisted sides with centred reserves of similar rocaille chasing on frosted ground, the base later engraved with mirrored initials 'LL', a marquess' coronet above and centred date '1900' below, the interior of the hinged lid engraved with a coat-of-arms with coronet above, slightly raised wavy incorporated thumbpiece
2 3/8 in. (56 mm.) wide
1½ oz. (44 gr.)

Provenance

Sotheby's, London, 5 June 1997, lot 265.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Brought to you by

Rodney Woolley

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rwoolley@christies.com +44 (0)20 7752 3026

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Lot Essay

The chasing on the lid and sides of the present snuff-box reflects the influence of Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier's engraved designs for snuff-boxes in the rocaille taste. Meissonnier's 1734 Livre d'Ornemens, published in Paris, influenced numerous goldsmiths on the Continent and in England throughout the Rococo period (K. Snowman, Eighteenth-Century Gold Boxes of Europe, Woodbridge, 1990, pp. 44, 45 and 137).

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