Snuffbox
Unknown Artist
ca. 1760–1800
Medium
Enameled copper
Dimensions
Overall: 1 1/2 × 3 1/8 × 2 3/8 in. (3.8 × 7.9 × 6 cm)
Classification
Enamels-Painted
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
17.190.1074
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite enameled copper snuffbox, crafted in Staffordshire, Britain, around 1760–1800, exemplifies the refined luxury of the Georgian era. Snuffboxes like this were essential accessories for gentlemen, holding finely ground tobacco inhaled as a fashionable social habit among the elite. Produced in workshops famous for their colorful enamels—such as those in Bilston and Battersea—this compact treasure (measuring just 1 1/2 × 3 1/8 × 2 3/8 inches) the era's booming decorative arts industry, blending functionality with opulent display. The artwork's painted enamel technique shines through...