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Unknown Man: M.77 & A-1961

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Unknown Man
Louis XVI of France

Maker(s)

Miniaturist: Rouquet, Jean André (Possibly)
Box maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Red laquer box lined with tortoise shell and set with a miniature of a young man

Red lacquer, lined with tortoise shell, mounted in gold and set with a portrait miniature painted in enamel on copper. The circular box has straight sides and a flat pull-off lid. The top of the lid is set with an oval miniature of a young man with powdered hair wearing a straw hat with a posy of flowers at the front. He has a pink waistcoat and a white jacket edged with pink, and his hair is tied with a pink bow. Round the miniature and the edge of the lid and base are openwork mounts chased or stamped with flowerheads and pierced leaves. The rim at the join of the lid and base are mounted in gold and the deep bezel has a wavy edge.

Legal notes

L.C.G. Clarke Bequest, 1960

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1961-04-27) by Clarke, Louis Colville Gray

Dating

18th Century, Mid
Louis XV
After 1740 CE - Before 1758 CE 1763 CE - 1764 CE

Note

Jean André Rouquet (1701-1758) was a French Huguenot who worked in Switzerland and England before returning to work in Paris. He died before the box was made, so the miniature was not painted specifically for this box.

School or Style

French

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Box composed of lacquer Diameter 6.3 cm Height 3.3 cm
Box Lining composed of tortoise shell
Miniature composed of enamel copper Height 4.2 cm Width 3.5 cm
Box Mounts composed of gold

Inscription or legends present

Inscription present: illegible

  • Location: On the bezel
  • Method of creation: Struck
  • Type: Maker's mark

Inscription present: Z crowned

  • Location: On the bezel
  • Method of creation: Struck
  • Type: Warden's mark

Inscription present: crossed sprigs of laurel

  • Location: On the bezel
  • Method of creation: Struck
  • Type: Charge mark

Inscription present: the head of a hound

  • Location: On the bezel
  • Method of creation: Struck
  • Type: Discharge mark
  • Text: Le Roi Loui XVI habiller / à la Watteau
  • Location: In the base of the box
  • Method of creation: Written in ink and stuck with glue
  • Type: Paper label

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.77 & A-1961
Primary reference Number: 18247
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 18 December 2023 Last processed: Monday 18 December 2023

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 (2024) "Unknown Man" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/18247 Accessed: 2024-12-23 03:16:14

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/18247 |title=Unknown Man |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-23 03:16:14|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-18247

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

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<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa30/M_77_1961_201405_jas244_mas.jpg"
        alt="Unknown Man"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Unknown Man</figcaption>
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