BY AUGUSTIN-ANDRÉ HÉGUIN (FL. 1785-1822), MARKED, PARIS, 1798-1809, STRUCK WITH THE THIRD STANDARD AND EXCISE MARKS FOR GOLD 1819-1838, THE MICROMOSAIC IN THE MANNER OF GIACOMO RAFFAELLI (1753-1836), ROME, CIRCA 1800

Augustin-André Héguin was sponsored for the maîtrise by Jean-Joseph Barrière on 20 April 1785. Snuff-boxes by this goldsmith are rare. The subject depicted in this micromosaic, which can be seen in many differing guises in micromosaics, appears to have originated with Giacomo Raffaelli (1743-1836). A gold-mounted hardstone snuff-box attributed to Johann-Christian Neuber with a similar scene on the cover and with a butterfly on the reverse, both attributed to Raffaelli, is illustrated in J. H. Gabriel, The Gilbert Collection of Micromosaics, London, 2000, p. 57 and in C. Truman, The Gilbert Collection of Gold Boxes, Los Angeles, 1991, no. 82. Several micromosaics after the same composition, are illustrated in D. Petochi, M. Alfieri and M. Grazia Branchetti, I mosaici minuti Romani dei secoli XVIII e XIX, Rome, 1981, figs. 19-22.