Artwork Page for Snuff Box (Tabatière) with Portrait of Marie Antoinette

Details / Information for Snuff Box (Tabatière) with Portrait of Marie Antoinette

Snuff Box (Tabatière) with Portrait of Marie Antoinette

1768
box by

Pierre-François-Mathis de Beaulieu

(French)
painter

François Dumont

(French, 1751–1831)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
watercolor on ivory in a gold and enamel box
Measurements
Image: 3.4 x 2.9 cm (1 5/16 x 1 1/8 in.); Overall: 3.9 x 6 cm (1 9/16 x 2 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Edward B. Greene 1957.408
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Marie Antoinette, queen consort of French King Louis XVI and great patron of the decorative arts, was executed in 1793 at the end of the French Revolution.

Description

This box was created through the collaboration of two skilled and well-known artisans of the period, master goldsmith Pierre-François-Mathis de Beaulieu and celebrated miniature painter François Dumont. The portrait of Marie Antoinette on the box's lid is painted in Dumont’s own style while those on the sides and bottom of the box take inspiration from the work of painter François Boucher, known for his pastoral scenes in the Rococo style.
An oval gold and enamel box features a lid centered with a woman's portrait. The cylindrical body displays deep blue enamel panels and emerald green borders. On the front, an oval medallion depicts a seated figure and dog in a landscape. Intricate gold scrolling patterns and leaf-shaped motifs decorate the surface, including a band of circular designs ringing the upper edge. Gold filigree frames each enamel scene and panel.

Snuff Box (Tabatière) with Portrait of Marie Antoinette

1768

Pierre-François-Mathis de Beaulieu, François Dumont

(French), (French, 1751–1831)
France, 18th century

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