Snuffbox
ca. 1760–1800
Medium
Enameled copper
Dimensions
Overall: 1 3/8 × 3 1/8 × 2 1/2 in. (3.5 × 7.9 × 6.4 cm)
Classification
Enamels
Culture
British, Staffordshire
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.1031
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate snuffbox, crafted by Jacques Le Bas around 1760–1800, exemplifies refined artistry of British Staffordshire enameling. Made of enameled copper and measuring just 1⅜ × 3⅛ × 2½ inches, it served as a luxurious accessory for carrying powdered tobacco—a fashionable habit among 18th-century European elites. Adorned with scenes featuring books, men, women, the box reflects the era's Enlightenment interests in literature and genteel society, capturing intimate vignettes in vibrant, translucent enamels. Staffordshire enamellers, active from the mid-1700s, perfected techniques like paint...
About the Artist
Jacques Philippe Le Bas · 1707–1783
Comment on works: Engraver