Oval Gold And Enamel Snuff Box With Miniature Of Marie Antoinette, 1700–1800

Oval 18K gold snuff box with a miniature portrait of Marie Antoinette, queen consort of Louis XVI, after the celebrated "Marie Antoinette with a Rose" painted by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun in 1783. The miniature is bordered with set half-pearls. Translucent blue enamel over a guilloché ground, enriched with paillons; the edges are decorated with lines of white enamel. A slight enamel flaw near the edge of the lid. The interior bears the mark FJ, presumably attributable to the goldsmith Frères Jordan of Hanau or to François Juanin. The rim bears the 18K gold mark alongside Swedish import marks: the head of Saint Eric, historically used on precious metals in Stockholm, and the Swedish coat-of-arms mark.
Dimensions: 83 x 62 x 30 mm.

Interest in the historical figure of Marie Antoinette has never waned across the centuries, and this snuff box stands as a piece of undoubted historical significance. Beyond its exquisite craftsmanship, the queen's portrait — drawn from one of the most iconic paintings of her era — is joined by the presence of Swedish import marks, an evocative echo of the queen's storied romance with Count Axel von Fersen.