Silver snuff box with scenes of love and romantic mottoes
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1680
Oval, chased and engraved with figures and inscriptions in Latin and English. The whole is naively engraved. On the lid a native man prays to the sun, in the sky the words iadore qvi me brvle.
The reverse a man on one knee addresses a seated bare breasted woman 'dvlceo est sicdecipi'. From her the words 'arceo sedardeo'. The interior of the box is similarly engraved, the inscriptions are in English; With permission madam and of this snuff I shal nere have enough. This snuff box has engraved and chased decoration of lovers but the most explicit image has been defaced. The inscriptions continue the amorous theme.
They read ‘j'adore qui me brule’ (‘I worship the one who sets me on fire’) on the front, ‘with permission madam’ on the inside lid and ‘of this snuff I shal nere have enough’. This type of oval snuff box first appeared in the 1680s.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- 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
- Materials and techniques
- Silver, chased and engraved
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- London
Identification
- Candidate id
- vam-O105007
- Museum object number
- 808-1864
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
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: confirm the wider type and source attribution against specialist references.