Snuff Box (Tabatière) (Cleveland Museum of Art 1958.125)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1756–57
The miniature paintings that decorated snuff boxes were depicted in intricate detail requiring complex technical skill. This box’s miniatures are painted with enamel en plein , meaning the enamel has been applied directly to the metal of the box. A different enameling technique, basse-taille , is used to depict the doves and floral borders. Here, the gold has been chiseled away and filled with translucent enamel in order to produce a three-dimensional effect. Cleveland Museum of Art object 1958.125: Snuff Box (Tabatière), 1756–57. Francois Guillaume Tiron (French). Gold and enamel; overall: 3.2 x 5.1 cm (1 1/4 x 2 in.). Inscribed: [Maker's mark of Francois-Guillaume Tiron, master goldsmith in 1747, inside cover; left wall]; [Warden's mark for Paris, 1756-1757, inside cover]; [Charge mark of Julien Berthe, Paris, 1750-1756, inside cover; left wall]. 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
In the mid-1700s François-Guillaume Tiron worked alongside his brother, Jean-Marie Tiron, one of the most celebrated makers of gold boxes of the 18th century.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- gold and enamel
- Dimensions
- Overall: 3.2 x 5.1 cm (1 1/4 x 2 in.)
- Measurements
- Overall: 3.2 x 5.1 cm (1 1/4 x 2 in.)
- Material and technique
- gold and enamel
Design
- Inscriptions
- [Maker's mark of Francois-Guillaume Tiron, master goldsmith in 1747, inside cover; left wall]; [Warden's mark for Paris, 1756-1757, inside cover]; [Charge mark of Julien Berthe, Paris, 1750-1756, inside cover; left wall]
Identification
- Date recorded
- 1756–57
- Culture period
- France
- Maker recorded
- Francois Guillaume Tiron (French)
- Museum attribution
- Francois Guillaume Tiron (French)
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 1958.125
- Published references
- 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. Accessed March 26, 2020. mentioned P 168
- Museum classification
- Miscellaneous
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.