Snuff box
ca. 1745â1755
Medium
containers
Classification
containers
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of the Panwy Foundation, from the collection of Maria Wyman
Accession Number
1994-129-5
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Behold the elegant *Snuff Box* crafted by Swiss artisan Johann Martin Heinrici (1711–1786) around 1745–1755. This delicate container, now housed in the Smithsonian American Museum, exemplifies the exquisite craftsmanship of mid-18th-century Europe As a gift from the Panwy Foundation—drawn from the collection of Mariayman—it joins the Smithsonian Collection, where ongoing research continues to uncover its nuances. In the Rococo period, snuff boxes like this one were coveted accessories among the European elite, designed to hold powdered tobacco inhaled for pleasure or perceived health benefits...