Snuff Box (Tabatière)

Description

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.

Provenance

Mrs. Edward B. Greene, Cleveland, Ohio.

Snuff Box (Tabatière)

François Chazeray

1777–78

Accession Number

1958.124

Medium

gold and enamel

Dimensions

Overall: 2.9 x 3.9 cm (1 1/8 x 1 9/16 in.)

Classification

Metalwork

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Edward B. Greene