Snuffbox The Walters Art Museum
Originating in the Americas, the practice of “taking snuff,” or inhaling pulverized tobacco through the nose, became a common European custom by the 17th century. Consumers of all social levels and of both sexes would carry small, airtight boxes filled with the powdered tobacco, taking a pinch whenever they needed. Over time, however, society’s elites began to purchase and commission increasingly extravagant and precious boxes. Kings and Queens would often present snuffboxes to ambassadors as diplomatic gifts and to courtiers as payment for services. Made of a variety of precious materials, including gold, enamel, semiprecious stones, lacquer, and tortoiseshell, snuffboxes were coveted and enthusiastically collected. Displaying one’s collection of prized snuffboxes or stylishly retrieving an elegant box from one’s pocket were important social rituals; these objects revealed a person’s tastes, interests, and erudition. This box is an ornate, bejeweled example, with inlaid rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. These gemstones accentuate the box’s Rococo style, as they highlight the flowing scroll motifs and draw the eye towards the asymmetrical design on the lid.
A silver-gilt snuff box with mother of pearl, gold and silver lid, probably Johann Melchior Dinglinger, Dresden, circa 1720, Gold Boxes, Ceramics & Silver, 2021
Snuffbox with the Family of Louis XV
File:Japanese - Incense Burner (Koro) with Domestic Scenes - Walters 49475 - Three Quarter View B.jpg - Wikipedia
Snuffbox with the Family of Louis XV
A THREE-COLOUR GOLD AND ENAMEL SNUFF BOX, JEAN-JOSEPH BARRIÈRE, PARIS, 1771, STYLE: European Silver, Gold Boxes and Ceramics, 2019
Snuffbox with Portrait of Woman with a Parrot
File:William Cooper - Snuffbox with the Cooper Family Crest - Walters 571998.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
11 Snuffboxes from england Images: PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine Public Domain Search
Stamp Box The Walters Art Museum
Athanasius Stepanovich Popov - Snuffbox with Engraved Scenes - Walters 57720 - PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine Public Domain Search
Circular Snuffbox The Walters Art Museum
Collections
Snuffbox with Portrait of Louis XIV, King of France
Snuffbox with the Family of Louis XV
The Choiseul Box: a new jewel of miniature painting in the Musée du Louvre
