A pearl-set gold and enamel snuff box, Sené & Neisser, Geneva, 1805-1807
Lot Closed
May 26, 12:51 PM GMT
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A pearl-set gold and enamel snuff box, Sené & Neisser
Geneva, 1805-1807
oval, formed as a basket, the lid enamelled en plein with a still life abundant of apples, peaches, grapes, plums and cherries, within a black, pale blue and gold taille d'épargne border set with small flowers of pearls, alternating with collet-set singular split pearls, the waisted sides with a pale blue zig-zag pattern against apple-red translucent enamel over wavy engine-turning, between further taille d'épargne borders with stylised floral and geometric patterns, the base similarly decorated, maker's mark,
6.7cm., 2 5/8 in. wide
Henri Christian Neisser, born and trained in the south-western town of Hanau, moved to Geneva in 1783, where he worked as a compagnon bijoutier for Isaac Forget for 16 years. In 1798, he started business with Messrs Sené & Detalla, a partnership which subsequently became Sené & Neisser in October 1805. The joint SD mark was entered 1807 and only in use for another year thereafter, when Henri Neisser registered his own mark in 1808, following the death of his business partner in November of the same year.
Gold boxes enamelled with still lives of fruit, or alternatively representing animals such as leopards, lions, snakes or lambs, were traditionally most suitable for the Ottoman market due to the prohibition to represent people or persons, including mythological figures, which for decades were so fashionable for Geneva or Hanau gold boxes. For another example of the high quality of enamelled fruit still lives on gold boxes by Sené & Neisser, see Sotheby’s, The Collection of a Connoisseur, 14 July 2021, lot 27, for a box with the underside featuring a plethora of flowers and fruit similar to the present lot.
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