Important Gold Boxes from a Private European Family Collection
A large gold-mounted mother-of-pearl snuff box, German, mid-eighteenth century
Lot Closed
May 16, 01:34 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 CHF
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
circular, the lid chased in high relief with mythological figures in high relief, within boldly-chased gold scrollwork and rocailles, surrounded by engraved mother-of-pearl, gold bow-shaped thumbpiece, the sides and base similarly decorated with engraved and chased rocailles, flower garlands and scrollwork, gold lining, French prestige marks including maker's mark purporting to be that of Louis Mailly,
7.6 cm; 3 in. diameter
K. Henninger-Tavcar Kunsthandel, Westdeutsche Kunstmesse International, 17-26th March 1995
A similar gold-mounted mother-of-pearl snuff box, also of circular shape, belonged to the impressive collection of gold boxes Eugen Gutmann, identified as French, circa 1760 (see Otto von Falke, Die Kunstsammlung Eugen Gutmann, Berlin, 1912, cat. no. 242, plate 61). Although gold-mounted mother-of-pearl snuff boxes were certainly fashionable in mid-eighteenth century Paris, the size, proportions and stylistic particularities of the present box would suggest a German origin. French prestige marks were sometimes added to genuine, previously unmarked boxes in order to increase their desirability at a time when snuff boxes of Paris origin were widely considered to rank highest in the hierarchy of gold boxes.
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