{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O156542"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O156542/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU1912/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU1912/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BU1912","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1896","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1895","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1869","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1868","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/O156542/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O156542","accessionNumber":"LOAN:GILBERT.497-2008","objectType":"Snuffbox","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"In England, few porcelain and pottery snuffboxes were made. Charles Gouyn’s factory, which was maybe located in St James’s, London, made small decorative objects, including boxes like this in the shape of a woman’s head. The term 'snuffbox' does not appear in surviving documents of the time so this box could instead have held small sweetmeats or pills. The mounts, also made in England, were possibly made in Birmingham or, as Gouyn was a second-generation jeweller, perhaps in London near to where the porcelain was manufactured.\r\n\r\nSnuffboxes made out of porcelain also often followed the shapes of those made in gold and hardstones. Painted scenes or portraits ornamented the sides, covers and interiors. Changing forms and decoration were important, as these fashion accessories might be chosen to match the season or a particular costume. Most European (though rarely English) porcelain factories made snuffboxes. The largest producer was Meissen in Germany, which manufactured vast quantities of boxes from about 1735-65. A price list of 1765 mentions 11 varieties, the cheapest painted with flowers.\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":"An enamelled, gold-mounted hardstone and soft-paste porcelain box formed as a girl's head, the base of agate mounted in gold. <i>Je te connais beau masque </i>is enamelled around the rim of the base with a scrolling thumbpiece in the front. The mount for the head is chased with scrolls and flowers. The girl's head is painted in enamel colours with red lips, flesh tones, black patches and mask, with diamond set eyes, her hair is in a white cap with a red ribbon border.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"gold","id":"AAT11021"},{"text":"porcelain","id":"AAT10662"},{"text":"enamel","id":"AAT14910"},{"text":"agate","id":"AAT11135"},{"text":"diamond","id":"AAT11084"}],"techniques":[{"text":"chasing","id":"AAT54016"},{"text":"engraving (incising)","id":"AAT53829"},{"text":"enamelling","id":"x37485"},{"text":"carving","id":"AAT53149"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Chased and engraved gold with enamelled soft-paste porcelain, carved hardstone and diamond","categories":[{"text":"Personal accessories","id":"THES48912"},{"text":"Containers","id":"THES48972"},{"text":"Enamels","id":"THES48876"},{"text":"Porcelain","id":"THES48907"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2008BU1912","2008BU1896","2008BU1895","2008BU1869","2008BU1868"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"71","id":"THES49723"},"free":"","case":"CA017","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"snuffbox","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"box; mounts, possibly"},{"place":{"text":"Birmingham","id":"x28748"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"mounts, possibly"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1750-1755","earliest":"1745-01-01","latest":"1755-12-31"},"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":"4.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"5.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"5.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Measured 30.09.24 IW ","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"JE TE CONNAIS/\r\nBEAU MASQUE","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"I know you beautiful mask","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"on rim of lid"}],"objectHistory":"Provenance\r\nAcquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1989.\r\n\r\nLe Grand Frisson Exhibition RF.2005/788","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Gold-mounted enamelled porcelain snuffbox; London (Charles Gouyn’s factory at St. James’s), ca.1750-55","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. 103, pp. 302-3.  ISBN.0875871623"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Zech, Heike. 'Goldboxes in the Gilbert Collection at the V & A'.   In : <u>Art Antiques London</u>.  Catalogue of Art Antiques London, incorporating The International Ceramics Fair & Seminar, 10 June - 16 June 2010.  London: Haughton International Fairs, 2010, p.1, ill."},{"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. 108-109, no. 37. ISBN 987-1-85177-840-9"},{"reference":{"text":"Scarisbrick, Diana. <i>Le Grand Frisson : 500 years of jewels of sentiment</i>, Paris : Les Editions Textuel, 2008","id":"AUTH354970"},"details":"p.211","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"masks (costume)","id":"AAT138758"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["carnival","Commedia dell'arte"],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"17. Box in the shape of a girl’s head\r\n1760–65\r\n\r\nIn England, few porcelain and pottery snuffboxes were made. The Chelsea porcelain factory made small decorative objects, particularly from 1758 to 1769, although the term ‘snuffbox’ does not appear in surviving documents of the time. This box could also have held small sweetmeats or pills.\r\n\r\nBox: London (Chelsea), England\r\nMounts: possibly Birmingham, England\r\nSoft-paste porcelain, agate, diamond, enamel colours and gold\r\nInscribed in French: ’I know you, beautiful mask’\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.497-2008","date":{"text":"16/11/2016","earliest":"2016-11-16","latest":"2016-11-16"}},{"text":"Box in the shape of a girl’s head, 1760–5.\r\nIn England, few porcelain and pottery snuffboxes were\r\nmade. The Chelsea porcelain factory made small\r\ndecorative objects, particularly from 1758–69, although\r\nthe term ‘snuffbox’ does not appear in surviving\r\ndocuments of the time. This box could also have held\r\nsmall sweetmeats or pills.\r\nBox: London (Chelsea), England\r\nMounts: possibly Birmingham, England\r\nSoft-paste porcelain, agate, diamond,\r\nenamel colours and gold\r\nInscribed in French: 'I know you, beautiful mask'\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.497-2008","date":{"text":"2009","earliest":"2009-01-01","latest":"2009-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["LOAN:GILBERT.497-2008"],"accessionNumberNum":"497","accessionNumberPrefix":"LOAN:GILBERT","accessionYear":2008,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"GB 151"},{"type":{"text":"The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House","id":"THES50384"},"number":"1996.499"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2024NX6047","2018LC1521","2019LP3929","2019LT5912","2019LW6395"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-26","recordCreationDate":"2008-06-19","availableToBook":false}}