A very rare Queen Anne/George I silver mounted tortoiseshell Snuff Box made most probably in London circa 1714, most probably by John Swann.
A very rare Queen Anne/George I silver mounted tortoiseshell Snuff Box made most probably in London circa 1714, most probably by John Swann.
375149
This piece has a slender oval form with silver sides decorated with reeding. The base is inset with a plain tortoiseshell panel and the cover is also inset with a tortoiseshell panel, with silver overlay pierced and engraved. The design is quite distinctive and is contained within a twisted ropework frame. The centre depicts a che isinaman, holding a staff, standing next to a goat. A male figure is also seated playing an instrument, also with a goat at his feet and ruins in the background. This scene is surrounded by a beautiful frame of cornucopia and baskets containing fruit, exotic birds in flight and two squirrels eating nuts, at the bottom of the scene.
The box illustrated in the catalogue of the Lion collection of snuff boxes, on page 105, is by John Swann and is very similar to the one we offer in its decorative elements and with the squirrels always present, they represent a sort of figurative signature of his work.
Length: 3.1 inches.
Width: 2.45 inches.
Depth: 0.45 inches.
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