Who created "Table snuffbox"?

Table snuffbox was created by Jacques de Lajoüe in ca. 1745–50.

When was "Table snuffbox" created?

This artwork was created ca. 1745–50.

Is "Table snuffbox" in the public domain?

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

Table snuffbox

Q: What medium is "Table snuffbox"?

Table snuffbox is Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello.

Jacques de Lajoüe

ca. 1745–50

Medium

Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello

Dimensions

Overall: 2 1/4 × 4 1/8 × 2 1/2 in. (5.7 × 10.5 × 6.4 cm)

Classification

Metalwork-Silver In Combination

Culture

Russian, probably Velikiy Ustyug

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Purchase, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, by exchange, and Rogers Fund, 1995

Accession Number

1995.327

Tags

Triton

Art Historical Context

This exquisite table snuffbox, around 1745–50 and attributed to French Rococo artist Jacques Lajoüe for its designs, exemplifies the pinnacle of 18th-century Russian metalwork from Velikiystyug, a northern Russian center famed for intricate silver craftsmanship. Fashioned from a rare Green Turban snail shell—its iridescent, spiral form evoking the sea—the box is lavishly mounted in gilded silver adorned with matted, punched and engraved details, plus niello, a technique where black metallic alloys are inlaid into incised designs for dramatic contrast. Measuring just over 2 inches tall, it was ...

Table snuffbox

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