Artwork Page for Snuff Box

Details / Information for Snuff Box

Snuff Box

c. 1750–60

England, London

Medium
gold-mounted agate, engine-turned panels, hematites
Credit Line
Gift of Howard F. Stirn 2009.64
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This small, elaborate box held snuff, a form of powdered tobacco that was inhaled in tiny amounts.

Description

Luxurious personal objects, like this snuff box, were an essential part of a privileged wardrobe during the 1700s and early 1800s, emphasizing their owner’s refinement and wealth. Their glittering surfaces, however, disguised a system based on the labor and suffering of enslaved or indentured people, whether in gold or gemstone mines, tobacco farms, or shops where these goods were made. Like cotton, sugar, and tea, snuff came from British colonies in America, India, and the Caribbean, where enslaved people were exploited to grow these crops under extremely harsh conditions.
A rectangular snuff box features translucent, pink agate panels carved in diamond patterns, set within a gold frame. On the lid, a radial spiral design expands from a central circular inlay containing a brown, plant-like motif. Large faceted gray stones encircle the lid's rim, while smaller stones line the base and vertical corners. Muted tones and shimmering surfaces highlight the box's intricate geometry and ornate, jewel-encrusted construction.

Snuff Box

c. 1750–60

England, London

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