Snuff Box (Tabatière) (Cleveland Museum of Art 1958.124)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1777–78
This box is decorated with figures of antiquity associated with love: winged cupids, dancing nymphs, and representations of the Greek goddess of love. These scenes are inspired by antique cameos, intricately carved gemstones crafted in ancient Greece and Rome.
This interest in ancient iconography, symmetry, and classical compositions of gods and goddesses was characteristic of 18th-century neoclassicism. Cleveland Museum of Art object 1958.124: Snuff Box (Tabatière), 1777–78. François Chazeray (French). Gold and enamel; overall: 2.9 x 3.9 cm (1 1/8 x 1 9/16 in.). Inscribed: [Maker's mark of François Chazeray, master goldsmith in 1760, cover; bottom; front wall]; [Warden's mark (probably a crowned "O"), Paris, 1777-1778, cover; bottom; front wall]; [Illegible mark, bottom]; [Illegible mark, cover]; [Illegible charge mark, inside front]; [Discharge mark of Jean-Baptiste Fouache, Paris, 1774-1780, on neck at left.; [Outside of neck, modern inscription '4 (modern inscription]:.
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
- 4
- 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
Decorated with allegorical scenes of love, it is likely that this box was a present between lovers.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- gold and enamel
- Dimensions
- Overall: 2.9 x 3.9 cm (1 1/8 x 1 9/16 in.)
- Measurements
- Overall: 2.9 x 3.9 cm (1 1/8 x 1 9/16 in.)
- Material and technique
- gold and enamel
Design
- Inscriptions
- [Maker's mark of François Chazeray, master goldsmith in 1760, cover; bottom; front wall]; [Warden's mark (probably a crowned "O"), Paris, 1777-1778, cover; bottom; front wall]; [Illegible mark, bottom]; [Illegible mark, cover]; [Illegible charge mark, inside front]; [Discharge mark of Jean-Baptiste Fouache, Paris, 1774-1780, on neck at left.; [Outside of neck, modern inscription '4 (modern inscription]:
Identification
- Date recorded
- 1777–78
- Culture period
- France
- Maker recorded
- François Chazeray (French)
- Museum attribution
- François Chazeray (French)
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 1958.124
- Published references
- Norton, Richard, and Martin Norton. A History of Gold Snuff Boxes. London: Messrs. S.J. Phillips, 1938. reproduced pl. 33B Milliken, William M. The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 45, no. 3 (March 1958): 35-94. reproduced P 61 Milliken, William M. "Annual Report Issue for the Year 1957." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 45, no. 6 (June 1958): 159-90. reproduced P 168 The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966 . Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. reproduced P 159 Grandjean, Serge. Catalogue des tabatières, boîtes et étuis des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles du Musée du Louvre . Paris: Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, 1981. mentioned P 69
- Museum classification
- Metalwork
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.