A NAPOLÉON III MINATURES-SET THREE-COLOUR GOLD SNUFF-BOX

Details

A NAPOLÉON III MINATURES-SET THREE-COLOUR GOLD SNUFF-BOX
BY ADOLPHE CHADOUTEAU, MARKED, PARIS, CIRCA 1865/1870, THE MINIATURES BY JACQUES-JOSEPH DE GAULT, SIGNED ON THE LID AND BASE, CIRCA 1790

Rectangular box with canted corners, the cover, four side panels and base inset with six glazed miniatures depicting oval horizontal blue painted reserves with bacchanalia en camaïeu surrounded by laurel wreaths held by satyrs, nymphs and putti painted as a trompe-l'oeil in dark green camaïeu simulating cinque-cento bronze sculptures, the gold cagework mounts engraved with wavy bands twisted with laurel festoons in white and yellow gold, the canted corners decorated with panels chased with trophies of Painting, Music, Hunting and Gardening in three-colour gold, each flanked by fluted pilasters hung with festoons
85 mm. wide

Provenance

Baron Henri de Rothschild (1872-1946) Collection, inv. no. Fz 31
Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968) Collection, part II sold Sotheby's, London, 17 June 1963, lot 328

Lot Essay

For more information on Chadouteau, see lot 71. It is interesting to see how this goldsmith followed the example of Adrien-J.-M. Vachette, Raoul-Gabriel Morel and Alexandre Leferre by incorporating 18th Century elements into the decoration of his gold boxes.

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