{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O156536"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O156536/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU2627/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU2627/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BU2627","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV4059","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV4076","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV4075","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BV4060","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NW8717","copyright":"© Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O156536/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O156536","accessionNumber":"LOAN:GILBERT.396-2008","objectType":"Snuffbox","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Saxony was rich in minerals and hardstones, leading to a blossoming of lapidary (polished stone) work. The city of Dresden was home to a treasury which was later extended by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland (ruled 1694-1733). This famous Green Vault (as it was known) encouraged the production of luxury objects. Under Augustus's successors, the goldsmiths Heinrich Taddel and his son-in-law Johann Christian Neuber became its directors.\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 jewelled, gold-mounted amethystine quartz snuffbox formed as a sheep naturalistically carved from white quartz, with ruby-set eyes, lying on a field of purple quartz. The base is carved in relief with a shepherdess and sheep in a fanciful landscape. The mount is chased with scrolls and flowers and set with a ruby and diamond floral thumbpiece.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"quartz","id":"AAT11132"},{"text":"gold","id":"AAT11021"},{"text":"ruby","id":"AAT11082"},{"text":"diamond","id":"AAT11084"},{"text":"silver","id":"AAT11029"}],"techniques":[{"text":"carving","id":"AAT53149"},{"text":"chasing","id":"AAT54016"},{"text":"setting","id":"x42734"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Carved white and purple quartz, rubies, chased gold, diamond in silver setting","categories":[{"text":"Personal accessories","id":"THES48912"},{"text":"Containers","id":"THES48972"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2008BU2627","2008BV4059","2008BV4076","2008BV4075","2008BV4060","2024NW8717"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"71","id":"THES49723"},"free":"","case":"CA013","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"snuffbox","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Dresden (city)","id":"x28810"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"probably"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1755","earliest":"1750-01-01","latest":"1759-12-31"},"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":"8.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"5.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"4.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Provenance: Alphonse Rothschild Collection, Vienna, Austria; Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips, London, 1989.\r\n\r\nAlphonse von Rothschild was a member of the Viennese branch of the Rothschild dynasty. His family wealth meant he could pursue a life dedicated to classical literature and the arts. When the Nazis swept into Vienna in 1938, Alphonse was fortunately travelling abroad, but the Rothschilds' palaces, assets and art collections were seized. The American journalist William Shirer observed Nazi officers 'emerging from the Rothschild house and piling their booty in waiting trucks'. The loot was taken to a collecting point where it was divided. After the war, this snuffbox was restituted to Alphonse von Rothschild's widow.\r\n\r\nThis object formed part of the V&A's special provenance display 'Concealed Histories: Uncovering the Story of Nazi Looting' (December 2019 - June 2021)","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"A jewelled, gold-mounted amethystine quartz snuffbox formed as a sheep naturalistically carved from white quartz, with ruby-set eyes, lying on a field of purple quartz.","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. 67, pp. 194-5.  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. 78-79, no. 23.  ISBN 987-1-85177-840-9"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230606004515/https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-life/concealed-histories-uncovering-the-story-of-nazi-looting"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"sheep","id":"x30093"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"4. Snuffbox in the form of a sheep\r\nAbout 1755\r\n\r\nProbably Dresden, Germany\r\nAmethystine quartz, gold, silver, diamonds and rubies\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.396-2008","date":{"text":"16/11/2016","earliest":"2016-11-16","latest":"2016-11-16"}},{"text":"Snuffbox in the form of a sheep\r\nAbout 1755\r\nProbably Dresden, Germany\r\nAmethystine quartz, gold, silver, diamonds and rubies\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.396-2008","date":{"text":"2009","earliest":"2009-01-01","latest":"2009-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["LOAN:GILBERT.396-2008"],"accessionNumberNum":"396","accessionNumberPrefix":"LOAN:GILBERT","accessionYear":2008,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"GB 143"},{"type":{"text":"The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House","id":"THES50384"},"number":"1996.491"},{"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":["2018LC1281","2019LP3607","2019LT5952","2019LT8625","2019LV3171","2019LW4646"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-12","recordCreationDate":"2008-06-19","availableToBook":false}}