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Snuff box: MAR.M.285-1912

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An image of Snuff box
An image of Snuff box
An image of Snuff box
Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Goldsmith: Vachette, Adrien-Jean-Maximilian

Entities

Categories

Description

Tortoise shell box lined with gold; the lid and base inlaid with mother-of-pearl and gold piqué point

Tortoise shell inlaid with gold piqué point and mother-of-pearl and lined with gold. Rectangular with straight sides and hinged almost flat lid with oval button thumbpiece. The lid and recessed base have a border of yellow gold embossed with a guilloche pattern on a red gold ground. The lid is decorated with an openwork basket containing flowers and leaves; it stands on a plinth, either side of which are flying insects. The ground is spotted and the corners are chequered. The base is decorated with a two-handled vase containing exotic flowers; it stands on a plinth between a squirrel and exotic bird and two flying insects.

Notes

History note: Not known before testator

Legal notes

C.B. Marlay Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 3.0 cm
Length: 8.0 cm
Width: 5.9 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1912-06-18) by Marlay, Charles Brinsley

Dating

18th Century, Late
Production date: AD 1785

School or Style

French

Components of the work

Box composed of tortoise shell
Decoration composed of mother-of-pearl gold
Lining composed of gold

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: MAR.M.285-1912
Primary reference Number: 150744

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Thursday 20 September 2012

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Snuff box" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/150744 Accessed: 2025-12-05 16:59:00

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/150744 |title=Snuff box |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 16:59:00|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-150744

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