Snuffbox, 1739

The scalloped box, with a straight back, has a hinged lid; it rests on a low, straight footring. The bottom is engraved on the underside with a pattern of trelliswork with rosettes.

The wall of the box is articulated by a moulded edge; below it, it is slightly convex, tapering toward the bottom; above it, it is slightly constricted. The lid has a moulded rim with an upright lip at the front. Set into the rim is a plaque with an embossed depiction of a fountain in a basin, in a garden landscape with a circular colonnade, buildings and trees, surrounded by an asymmetrical frame composed of C- and S-scrolls, foam edges, shell motifs and a flower garland.

A second, entirely smooth plate is attached against the underside of this plaque. The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, holds this object as BK-1959-19; its record gives material recorded as gold (metal); measurements height 3.1 cm x width 7.6 cm x depth 5.7 cm x weight 114 g. Description translated from the museum's Dutch catalogue text; details are those of this museum object, and how far it represents a wider type has not been independently verified.