Martin Varnish Snuff Box With Gold Rim And Enamelled Miniature On Porcelain, Late 18th Century

Magnificent snuff box rimmed in gold. The box is round, covered with black Martin-style varnish. Rims highlight the lid, the base, the opening, and the miniature on the lid. This miniature is enameled on porcelain. It depicts a rural scene with a farmer and his child. In the background, a shepherd tends sheep.

This fashion for rural landscapes at the end of the 18th century was part of a return to nature and the simple life, often fantasized. It was in this spirit that Marie-Antoinette had the Queen's Hamlet built at Versailles.

The interior of the box is rimmed in tortoiseshell.

The rims are not hallmarked but have been tested with 18-karat acid.

Magnificent box richly adorned with gold, depicting a farm landscape in the style of the last decades of the Ancien Régime.

7.8 cm in diameter
2.9 cm in height

78.4 grams gross

Good condition. Very slight deformation and glue marks on the rims. Scratches on the miniature.

Hand-delivered in Paris or shipped by insured Colissimo.
France: €15
Europe: €20
Worldwide: €35