Snuffbox with theatrical scenes of a rope dancer and a puppet show
Medium
Gold, enamel; vellum
Dimensions
Overall (confirmed): 1 1/16 x 2 13/16 x 1 5/8 in. (2.7 x 7.1 x 4.1 cm); Miniatures: (sight measurements) top 1 3/16 x 2 3/8 (3 x 6 cm.); bottom 1 3/16 x 2 3/8 (3 x 6 cm.)
Classification
Metalwork-Gold and Platinum|Miniatures
Culture
French, Paris
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.1130
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant French snuffbox, created in Paris around 1778–79, exemplifies the opulent metalwork of the late Ancien Régime. Crafted from gold and adorned with enamel miniatures on vellum by miniaturists Henri Joseph van Blarenberghe, Joseph Blerzy, and Nicolas van Blarenberg, it measures a compact 1 1/16 x 2 13/16 x 1 5/8 inches. These artists, part of a noted family of enamel specialists, captured intricate scenes on the box's top and bottom panels, each about 1 3/16 x 2 3/8 inches. The vignettes depict lively theatrical entertainments: a daring rope dancer and a whimsical puppet show, compl...