Snuff Box (Cleveland Museum of Art 2009.52)
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c. 1760–70
Luxurious personal objects, like this snuff box, were an essential part of a privileged wardrobe during the 1700s and early 1800s, emphasizing their owner’s refinement and wealth.
Their glittering surfaces, however, disguised a system based on the labor and suffering of enslaved or indentured people, whether in gold or stone mines, tobacco farms, or shops where these goods were made. Like cotton, sugar, and tea, snuff came from British colonies in America, India, and the Caribbean, where enslaved people were exploited to grow these crops under extremely harsh conditions. Slavery was not abolished in much of the British Empire until 1833.
Britain and other European nations continued to pursue colonialism with a sense of superiority that found its way into all aspects of life, including decorative objects glorifying their conquests. Cleveland Museum of Art object 2009.52: Snuff Box, c. 1760–70. England, London. Agate, gold. 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
- 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.
Historical context
This small, elaborate box held snuff, a form of powdered tobacco that was inhaled in tiny amounts.
Physical characteristics
- Materials
- agate, gold
- Dimensions
- Research required
- Material and technique
- agate, gold
Identification
- Date recorded
- c. 1760–70
- Culture period
- England, London
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Museum object number
- 2009.52
- 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.