Snuffbox
This snuffbox is notable for the high quality of its painting and for the ambitiousness of its decorative scheme. The exterior of the cover is painted with a view of Munich copied from a painting by Bernardo Bellotto of 1761, and the sides and bottom of the box are decorated with views of south German castles associated with the Bavarian court. Among the structures depicted are those at Schieissheim, Fürstenried, Dachau, Lichtenberg am Lech, and Nymphenburg, the latter housing the small porcelain manufactory where this snuffbox was made. The castles on the snuffbox are based on water colors by Maximilian de Geer (1690-1768) that in turn were copies of paintings by Franz Joachim Beich (1665–1748), the court painter in Munich. The interior of the box displays a scene of a deer hunt on Lake Starnberg and, unusually, a finely detailed lozenge pattern evocative of the contemporary textiles that often lined a coffer's interior. The decoration of the box's gold mounts includes the letter S, presumably the initial of the as-yet-unknown original owner of this small yet highly refined luxury object.
Artwork Details
- Title: Snuffbox
- Manufactory: Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory (German, 1747–present)
- Date: ca. 1770
- Culture: German, Nymphenburg
- Medium: Hard-paste porcelain; gold
- Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 1 7/8 × 3 1/8 × 2 7/8 in. (4.8 × 7.9 × 7.3 cm)
- Classification: Ceramics-Porcelain
- Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Gifts, 2004
- Object Number: 2004.512
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory
Ignaz Günther
ca. 1755–60
Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory
Johann Adam Huber
1778
Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory
Unidentified
1760–70
Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory
early 19th century
Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory
early 19th century
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.