Gold Snuffbox With Landscape Miniatures Germany, Berlin, Ca. 1840

Miniatures: French school, ca. 1770
Length: 8.5 cm
Refined rectangular snuffbox in 18-carat gold, crafted in two tones – rose and yellow – with chased and engraved decoration of scrolls and shells, interspersed with foliate motifs. The lid and the four sides are adorned with painted plaques, protected under crystal, depicting river and rural landscapes animated with figures, horses, and boats, with architecture and ruins in the background.
The panels, attributable to the French school of the second half of the 18th century, display airy skies, delicate colours, and a scenographic construction typical of Rococo painting around 1770. The mount, on the other hand, belongs to the Berlin production of the early 19th century (ca. 1830–1840), characterised by the use of two-tone gold and precise chiselling.
The piece is an intriguing example of collector’s assemblage: French 18th-century miniatures re-used and enhanced within a later gold mount, a practice quite common between the 18th and 19th centuries.