Snuffbox
ca. 1760
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain, gold, silver, diamonds, rubies
Dimensions
2 1/8 × 3 1/8 in. (5.4 × 7.9 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Porcelain
Culture
German, Meissen
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1977
Accession Number
1977.1.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate snuffbox, crafted by the renowned Meissen Manufactory around 1760, exemplifies pinnacle of 18th European luxury. Made of hard-paste porcelain—a breakthrough invention by Meissen in1710 that mimicked prized Chinese material with its translucency and durability—the box is adorned with lavish gold and silver mounts, sparkling diamonds, and rubies Measuring just 2 1/8 × 3 1/8 inches, its petite scale belies its opulence, featuring finely painted or modeled dogs, a motif beloved by the aristocracy for evoking hunting scenes and loyal companions. Meissen porcelain revolutionized decor...
About the Artist
Meissen Manufactory · 1710–present
The Meissen Manufactory, established on June 6, 1710, by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, marked the dawn of true hard-paste porcelain production in Europe. Nestled at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen near Dresden, the Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Porcelain Manufactory arose from alchemical experiments begun in 1708 by physicist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus and p...