Round Snuffbox with Gilt Mount

Meissen, circa 1740 / Ø 8 cm (lid) / Height: 4 cm / Rare snuffbox type with form number 22 (according to Beaucamp-Markowsky 1985, p. 595) / Model by Johann Joachim Kaendler, 1738 / Gilt mount

Decoration
Lid exterior: Exquisitely painted merchant shipping scenes, rendered with an almost veduta-like quality.

Lid interior: Finely executed portrait in delicate sepia tones, painted in stippling technique; depicting a pilgrim with staff and shell.

Curved side: Encircling animated merchant shipping scenes featuring large sailing ships. The unbroken 360° panorama painting is a characteristic feature of this rare snuffbox type.

Lower section: Floral ornamentation—a similarly rare decoration can be found on a snuffbox of the same type, auctioned at Christie’s on June 2, 2009. Within the reserved white-ground cartouches, "Indian" flowers, subtly foreshadowing the transition to "German" flowers, reflecting the dating of this piece.

Base: European river landscape.

Interior: Entirely gilt—flawless.