Miniature snuffers
ca. 1720–30
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Length: 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver-Miniature
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Joseph M. and Aimee Loeb May Collection, 1963
Accession Number
63.53.205
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, this exquisite *Miniature snuffers* by London silversmith David Clayton dates to around 1720–30. Crafted from silver and measuring just 2½ inches (6.4 cm) in length, these tiny tools were designed for trimming the wicks of candles, a daily necessity in an era before widespread electric lighting. Their diminutive scale highlights the silversmith's mastery, transforming a utilitarian object into a delicate work of art. In early 18th-century Britain, during the Georgian period, London was a hub for fine silver pr...
About the Artist
David Clayton · 1659–1719
David Clayton was an American artist active during the New Deal era who contributed to the Index of American Design, the federal government's sweeping effort to document American decorative arts and folk traditions through watercolor illustration. Organized under the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project beginning in 1935, the Index employed artists in thirty-four states to render ev...