Who created "Snuffbox"?

Snuffbox was created by Saint-Cloud factory in ca. 1735–40.

When was "Snuffbox" created?

This artwork was created ca. 1735–40.

What medium is "Snuffbox"?

Snuffbox is Soft-paste porcelain, silvered copper.

Is "Snuffbox" in the public domain?

Yes, Snuffbox is in the public domain and available for free download under CC0 license.

Snuffbox

Saint-Cloud factory

ca. 1735–40

Medium

Soft-paste porcelain, silvered copper

Dimensions

3 3/16 × 2 5/8 in. (8.1 × 6.7 cm)

Classification

Ceramics-Porcelain

Culture

French, Saint-Cloud

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917

Accession Number

17.190.1217

Tags

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Art Historical Context

This exquisite snuffbox, crafted by the renowned Saint-Cloud factory around 1735–40, exemplifies the pinnacle of early French porcelain artistry. Measuring just 3 3/16 × 2 5/8 inches, this pocket-sized luxury item is made from soft-paste porcelain—a French innovation that mimicked costly Chinese hard-paste porcelain before its local mastery—with a gleaming silvered copper mount. in Saint-Cloud near Paris, it reflects the factory's expertise in delicate, translucent wares during the opulent reign of Louis XV. Snuffboxes like this were essential accessories for the 18th-century aristocracy, who...

About the Artist

Saint-Cloud factory · 1693–1766

The Saint-Cloud porcelain factory, situated on the Seine in the town of Saint-Cloud near Paris, revolutionized European ceramics as the first to manufacture soft-paste porcelain commercially, beginning in 1693. Originally established around 1664-1666 as a faience workshop, it shifted to porcelain under Pierre Chicaneau, a potter whose experiments yielded a frit-based paste with a warm yellowish or...

Snuffbox

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