Snuff box depicting Historical Scene and Adoration of the Sacred Heart, 18th century. Dimensions 6 x 8 x 2.5 cm. The object in question represents a fine example of a gilded wood and ivory snuff box, decorated with two bas-reliefs of extreme artistic value, depicting respectively on the lid a Historical Scene of Judgement and on the bottom the Adoration of the Sacred Heart by two putti. These small boxes, which often took on the function of snuff boxes, were usually made of precious materials such as gold, ivory or tortoiseshell, decorated with bas-reliefs and miniatures and often accompanied by engraved dedications, and were then given as gifts in special circumstances and became a true indispensable fashion accessory. Their use dates back to the early 17th century, a time when tobacco sniffing began to be considered an act of great elegance, passing from the court to the nobility, and then spreading to the people, regardless of gender. As it was an object used by all social classes, there were various types of snuff boxes and the materials that made them up. The custom of donating snuff boxes to diplomatic personalities, especially frequent in 17th-century France, soon spread to all the courts of Europe, giving rise to the so-called 'diplomatic snuff boxes', of incomparable splendour, generally made of gold, chiselled or engraved, with the edges decorated with diamonds or very light enamels: the King of Prussia himself, Frederick the Great, possessed a vast collection of them, made of precious materials and decorated with gallant, pastoral or mythological scenes. The object is accompanied by the Community Cites Certificate. The object is in good condition.
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SILVER Seller in Milano, Italia
