Snuff Box
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1791–1814
This snuff box was crafted between 1791 and 1814 by the American silversmith Loring Bailey (1740–1814) in Massachusetts, likely in Hingham. The container incorporates a natural cowrie shell body patterned with mottled brown and white speckles, fitted with a silver mount and lid at the base. It measures 5.1 × 4.5 × 9.5 cm (2 × 1 3/4 × 3 3/4 in.).
The silver component includes an engraved inscription of the initials "A.L." rendered in script. Additionally, a maker's mark consisting of "LB" inside a rectangle is located under the lid. The object serves as a decorative personal container designed to hold snuff.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Silver
- Dimensions
- 5.1 × 4.5 × 9.5 cm (2 × 1 3/4 × 3 3/4 in.)
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Engraved initials A.L. (script); makers mark LB in rectangle under lid
- Maker recorded
- Loring Bailey, American, 1740–1814, Hingham, Massachusetts
- Place recorded
- Massachusetts
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Art Institute of Chicago collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Snuff Box
- Museum object number
- 1969.335
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.