Snuff Box Louis XVI, Lille 1774, Louis Deletombe, Sterling Silver

Extremely rare Louis XVI period snuffbox in sterling silver with the hallmark of Lille and the date letter of 1774. It also bears the hallmark of master goldsmith Louis Deletombe who was received master in 1724 and who will end his exceptionally long career in this year 1774. As always, it has remnants of gilding which once protected it from the harmful effects of snuff tobacco on silver. Of the 14 snuffboxes that Madame Nicole Cartier identified during the long years of research preceding the writing of her magnum opus "L'orfèvrerie de Lille", half were made by Deletombe, who apparently made it a specialty. The inventories of goldsmiths' workshops or estates preserved in the archives all mention one or more snuffboxes in silver, gold or tortoiseshell. They are also often cataloged as "for ladies" or "for gentlemen", unfortunately without specifications. If the size was a criterion, the one I propose here, was probably a copy for ladies. Parisian snuffboxes were made in large numbers throughout the eighteenth century and provided very tough competition to local productions which are rather rare on the art market.
It weighs 95 grams.