{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O156515"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O156515/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BV3898/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BV3898/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BV3898","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV4029","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV4028","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV4027","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV3991","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV3990","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV3899","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O156515/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O156515","accessionNumber":"LOAN:GILBERT.315-2008","objectType":"Snuffbox","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Inside this box can be found miniature portraits of Louis XV of France and his wife Marie Leczinska. It has been suggested that the box commemorates the birth of the 'dauphin' Louis in 1729, the royal couple's fourth child, and first son, heir to the throne.  A few elements contradict this suggestion: the dolphin does not bear any regal symbol such as a crown, the marks that date the box indicate that it was initated before the birth of Louis, when the arrival of a son was unknown. \r\nIt is most probable that these delicate panels, together with the miniature of Louis XV, date from 1725-1730 and have been associated later into this gold snuffbox, and a later miniature of Queen Marie Leczinska. \r\n\r\nThe miniature of the king may have been painted by Jean-Baptiste Massé - he is recorded as supplying miniatures of the king for boxes intended as diplomatic gifts from 1720-26-, or by his lesser known contemporary Jean-Baptiste Ducanel. \r\n\r\n\r\nSir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world’s great decorative art collections, including silver,  mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes.  Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.","physicalDescription":"A rectangular gold and tortoiseshell double-opening snuffbox, circa 1725-1730 and later\n \nthe cover set with a panel of tortoiseshell pique  in varicoloured gold representing a seascape of  a dolphin and a ship, in the foreground a beach littered with  shells and rocks, with ruins, birds,and an island  in the distance. The lid is hinged to reveal a miniature, under glass, of Marie Leczinska, queen  of France, probably 19th century or heavily restored, wearing a cloak of blue embroidered  with gold fleurs-de-lis and lined with ermine  overa lace-trimmed dress of red embroidered  with gold. In the base is a panel of tortoiseshell pique with a cornucopia of small  shells, also hinged to reveal a contemporary miniature of Louis XV of France in  armour, wearing a whitestock and the sash of  the Order of the Holy Ghost. The gold box,  circa 1900, has plain walls, reeded borders,  and a doublethumbpiece.\n","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Massé, Jean Baptiste","id":"A22442"},"association":{"text":"painter","id":"x38307"},"note":"portrait of Louis XV probably by "}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"gold","id":"AAT11021"},{"text":"tortoise shell","id":"AAT11837"},{"text":"paint","id":"AAT15029"},{"text":"glass","id":"AAT10797"},{"text":"tortoiseshell","id":"AAT11837"},{"text":"","id":""},{"text":"vellum","id":"x42751"},{"text":"glass","id":"AAT10797"}],"techniques":[{"text":"pique","id":"x42823"},{"text":"glazing","id":"AAT53676"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Gold box set with tortoiseshell panels pique with varicoloured gold and glazed miniatures on vellum ","categories":[{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"},{"text":"Containers","id":"THES48972"},{"text":"Personal accessories","id":"THES48912"},{"text":"Portraits","id":"THES48906"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2008BV3898","2008BV4029","2008BV4028","2008BV4027","2008BV3991","2008BV3990","2008BV3899"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"020","id":"THES410166"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"snuffbox","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Paris","id":"x29068"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"Tortoiseshell plaques and miniatures made in Paris, circa 1725-30"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1720-1730","earliest":"1720-01-01","latest":"1730-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Length","value":"8.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"6.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"2.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Charge mark of the <i>sous-fermier</i> Jacques Cottin, Paris, September 3, 1727-October 1, 1730\r\n","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Inside the front wall"},{"content":"Warden's mark for Paris, August 12, 1728-August 25, 1729","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Inside the front wall"},{"content":"Discharge mark of Jacques Cottin, 1727-1730, Louis Gervais, Paris, October 3, 1730-September 1, 1732, and Hubert Louvet, Paris, September 2-December 21, 1732","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"On the left side of the bezel"},{"content":"All probably spurious marks ","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Provenance: Michael Turisk, Paris. Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1986.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Gold snuffbox with two tortoisehell pique panels and portraits of Louis XV and Maria leszczynska inside,  Paris, circa 1725-1730 and later","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Truman, Charles.<u>The Gilbert collection of gold boxes</u>, Vol. I. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1991, cat. no. 2, pp. 32-35.  ISBN.0875871623"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Zech, Heike. <u>Gold Boxes. Masterpieces from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection. </u>London: V&A Publishing, 2015, pp. 34-35, no. 2.  ISBN 987-1-85177-840-9"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Leczinska, Marie (queen of France)","id":"N10784"},{"text":"Louis XV (King of France)","id":"N4017"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"seascapes","id":"AAT117546"},{"text":"dolphin","id":"AAT7937"},{"text":"ship","id":"AAT125446"},{"text":"ruins","id":"AAT8057"},{"text":"Order of the Holy Ghost","id":"x44751"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}},{"text":"1. Snuffbox with dolphin and ship, 1728–29\r\n\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.315-2008","date":{"text":"16/11/2016","earliest":"2016-11-16","latest":"2016-11-16"}},{"text":"Snuffbox with dolphin and ship\r\n1728–9\r\n\r\nThe interior plaque is hinged to show portraits of the\r\nFrench king Louis XV (reigned 1715–74) and his queen,\r\nMarie Leczinska (1703–68), who was the daughter of\r\nthe king of Poland. Her portrait was probably added in\r\nthe 19th century or was heavily retouched.\r\n\r\nParis, France\r\nGold, tortoiseshell piqué and glazed miniatures\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.315-2008","date":{"text":"2009","earliest":"2009-01-01","latest":"2009-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["LOAN:GILBERT.315-2008"],"accessionNumberNum":"315","accessionNumberPrefix":"LOAN:GILBERT","accessionYear":2008,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"GB 117"},{"type":{"text":"The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House","id":"THES50384"},"number":"1996.467"},{"type":{"text":"The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House","id":"THES50384"},"number":"1996.791.1"},{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"MIN 26"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2018LC0782","2019LP3906","2019LT6405","2019LU8882"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-01","recordCreationDate":"2008-06-19","availableToBook":false}}