Snuff Box (Tabatière) with Portrait of Marie Antoinette (Cleveland Museum of Art 1957.408)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1768
This box was created through the collaboration of two skilled and well-known artisans of the period, master goldsmith Pierre-François-Mathis de Beaulieu and celebrated miniature painter François Dumont. The portrait of Marie Antoinette on the box's lid is painted in Dumont’s own style while those on the sides and bottom of the box take inspiration from the work of painter François Boucher, known for his pastoral scenes in the Rococo style. Cleveland Museum of Art object 1957.408: Snuff Box (Tabatière) with Portrait of Marie Antoinette, 1768. Manufactured by Pierre-François-Mathis de Beaulieu (French), miniatures by François Dumont (French, 1751–1831). Watercolor on ivory in a gold and enamel box; image: 3.4 x 2.9 cm (1 5/16 x 1 1/8 in.); overall: 3.9 x 6 cm (1 9/16 x 2 3/8 in.). Inscribed: [Maker's mark of Pierre-François-Mathis de Beaulieu, master goldsmith in 1768, inside cover]; [Charge mark of Jean-Jacques Prévot, 1762-1768, inside cover]; [Warden's mark of Paris, 1768-1769, inside cover]; [Discharge mark of Julien Alaterre, Paris, 1768-1774, on neck at right]; [Inside box, the letter]: "F"; [On bezel at left, engraved number]: "627"; [On front of bezel, engraved signature]: "Ve Georges Beaulieu à Paris"; [On right of miniature portrait, the letter]: "D". Details are those of this museum object; how far it represents a wider type has not been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 3
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Marie Antoinette, queen consort of French King Louis XVI and great patron of the decorative arts, was executed in 1793 at the end of the French Revolution.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- watercolor on ivory in a gold and enamel box
- Dimensions
- Image: 3.4 x 2.9 cm (1 5/16 x 1 1/8 in.); Overall: 3.9 x 6 cm (1 9/16 x 2 3/8 in.)
- Measurements
- Image: 3.4 x 2.9 cm (1 5/16 x 1 1/8 in.); Overall: 3.9 x 6 cm (1 9/16 x 2 3/8 in.)
- Material and technique
- watercolor on ivory in a gold and enamel box
Design
- Inscriptions
- [Maker's mark of Pierre-François-Mathis de Beaulieu, master goldsmith in 1768, inside cover]; [Charge mark of Jean-Jacques Prévot, 1762-1768, inside cover]; [Warden's mark of Paris, 1768-1769, inside cover]; [Discharge mark of Julien Alaterre, Paris, 1768-1774, on neck at right]; [Inside box, the letter]: "F"; [On bezel at left, engraved number]: "627"; [On front of bezel, engraved signature]: "Ve Georges Beaulieu à Paris"; [On right of miniature portrait, the letter]: "D"
Identification
- Date recorded
- 1768
- Culture period
- France
- Maker recorded
- Pierre-François-Mathis de Beaulieu (French), François Dumont (French, 1751–1831)
- Museum attribution
- Pierre-François-Mathis de Beaulieu (French); François Dumont (French, 1751–1831)
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 1957.408
- Museum classification
- Enamel
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: this record describes a single museum object; confirm maker, marks and date against decorative-arts references.