Snuff Box (Tabatière) with Portrait of Marie-Thérèse of Austria
Jean Petitot (Swiss, 1607–1691)
miniature, c. 1676; box, 1775–76
Medium
Gold, enamel, and miniature
Dimensions
2.3 × 4.5 cm, l. 8.8 cm
Classification
Enamel
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Edward B. Greene
Accession Number
1957.405
Tags
male
About this artwork
In 18th-century France, ornately enameled boxes that held snuff—powdered tobacco—became a popular accessory in the French court. This box is decorated with a miniature portrait of Marie-Thérèse of Austria, the queen consort of French King Louis XIV. Their union was largely political. A year into their marriage Louis XIV took an official mistress, Madame Pompadour.