BY JEAN-FRANÇOIS RAVECHÉ (FL. 1720-1747), MARKED, PARIS, 1743/1744, WITH THE CHARGE AND DECHARGE MARKS OF LOUIS ROBIN 1738-1744, SIGNED ON ONE FLANGE 'RAVECHET A PARIS'

Boxes of this kind were probably designed to hold sweetmeats or comfits with which to freshen the breath. The term bonbonnière, usually used for a box with a detachable cover, does not seem to appear before around 1770 and prior to this date the term boïte à bonbons was used. The duc d'Aumont possessed "Deux bonbonnières rondes guillochés de crystal de roche garnies de gorge bec & Charnière d'or" [Two round engine-turned bonbonnières in rock-crystal with rim, thumbpiece and hinge in gold], which were sold after his death in 1782 (Paris, 12 December, 1782, lot 246), C. Truman, The Wallace Collection of Gold Boxes, London, 2013, p. 191.