The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 16, 2026

A rectangular gold box features intricate scrollwork and geometric patterns. Centered on the lid, an enamel panel depicts a bouquet of pink roses, red tulips, and blue flowers. Similar floral scenes are inset on the front and sides, framed by scalloped gold borders. The reflective metal contrasts with smooth, multicolored enamel paintings. Fine diamond-hatched textures fill the spaces between the colorful floral panels, highlighting the object's craftsmanship.

Snuff Box (Tabatière)

1756–57
goldsmith

Francois Guillaume Tiron

(French)
France
gold and enamel
Overall: 3.2 x 5.1 cm (1 1/4 x 2 in.)
Gift of Mrs. Edward B. Greene 1958.125
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

In the mid-1700s François-Guillaume Tiron worked alongside his brother, Jean-Marie Tiron, one of the most celebrated makers of gold boxes of the 18th century.

Description

The miniature paintings that decorated snuff boxes were depicted in intricate detail requiring complex technical skill. This box’s miniatures are painted with enamel en plein, meaning the enamel has been applied directly to the metal of the box. A different enameling technique, basse-taille, is used to depict the doves and floral borders. Here, the gold has been chiseled away and filled with translucent enamel in order to produce a three-dimensional effect.
  • Milliken, William M. The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 45, no. 3 (March 1958): 35-94. reproduced P 61 25142265
    Milliken, William M. "Annual Report Issue for the Year 1957." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 45, no. 6 (June 1958): 159-90. Accessed March 26, 2020. mentioned P 168 25142278
  • The Magic of Still Life. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 4, 1986-February 1, 1987).
    CMA, October 21, 1986-March 8, 1987: The Magic of Still Life, no cat.
  • {{cite web|title=Snuff Box (Tabatière)|url=false|author=Francois Guillaume Tiron|year=1756–57|access-date=16 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1958.125