{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O156545"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O156545/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU1981/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU1981/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BU1981","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU2064","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU2063","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU2062","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1971","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1970","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1969","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/O156545/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O156545","accessionNumber":"LOAN:GILBERT.346-2008","objectType":"Snuffbox","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Thomas Dimsdale (1712-1800), an English doctor and advocate of the practice of inoculation against smallpox, was summoned by the Russian ambassador to advise Catherine II during the Russian smallpox epidemic of 1768. So impressed was Catherine by the success of the potentially dangerous treatment that Thomas was created a Baron of the Russian Empire, a councillor of state and personal physician to the Empress, and awarded a princely sum of £10,000 plus an annuity and works of art. His son, Nathaniel was presented with this magnificent diamond-encrusted, varicoloured-gold snuffbox, decorated with figures in neo-classical landscapes by Paul 'as a testimony of his regard'. The box may have been made in either St Petersburg or Berlin.\r\n\r\nThe Gilbert Collection is also fortunately endowed with a miniature portrait of Thomas, 1st Baron Dimsdale (Loan: Gilbert. 257-2008) - enamelled by Henry Bone in 1800  in the final year of his life. \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, jewelled, varicoloured-gold snuffbox, chased and applied on each surface with figures in classical landscapes in coloured gold on a <i>sablé</i> ground, within reeded borders entwined with foliage and flowers, the cover encrusted with diamonds in the architectural details and with four pink foiled diamonds and numerous rose diamonds around the borders. Thumbpiece damaged.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"gold","id":"AAT11021"},{"text":"diamond","id":"AAT11084"},{"text":"silver","id":"AAT11029"},{"text":"foil","id":"AAT160106"}],"techniques":[{"text":"chasing","id":"AAT54016"},{"text":"setting","id":"x42734"},{"text":"lining (process)","id":"AAT162124"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Chased gold with diamonds encrusted in silver settings, four with pink tint and foil backing, the other diamonds set over black foil backing","categories":[{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"},{"text":"Jewellery","id":"THES48930"},{"text":"Containers","id":"THES48972"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2008BU1981","2008BU2064","2008BU2063","2008BU2062","2008BU1971","2008BU1970","2008BU1969"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"70B","id":"THES413996"},"free":"","case":"CA003","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"70B","id":"THES413996"},"free":"","case":"CA003","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"70B","id":"THES413996"},"free":"","case":"CA003","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"snuffbox","id":""}],[{"text":"diamonds","id":"AAT11084"}],[{"text":"fragments","id":"AAT117130"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Berlin (city)","id":"x28746"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"possibly"},{"place":{"text":"St Petersburg (Russia)","id":"x29178"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"possibly"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1768","earliest":"1763-01-01","latest":"1772-12-31"},"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":"7.7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"6.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"4.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"","value":"","unit":"","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"","value":"","unit":"","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Provenance: Grand Duke Paul of Russia (or possibly Catherine II). Nathaniel Dimsdale.  Anne Dimsdale (his sister, died 1832).  Charles John, fifth Baron Dimsdale (Anne Dimsdale's nephew, died 1872), thence by descent.  Sotheby's, Geneva, lot 176, November 16, 1989.  S.J. Phillips, London, 1989.\r\n\r\nThis snuffbox was recovered after a robbery while on loan in 2024 and returned to the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection in March 2026. To read more about the restoration of this box please see the V&A Blog by Alice Minter, 'Robbery, Recovery and Restoration: Two Gold Boxes from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection Return Home' (published Wednesday, 11 March, 2026).","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Snuffbox with classical landscapes associated with Dr Dimsdale.  Gold, silver, diamonds, foil.  Probably Berlin, Germany, ca.1768.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Dimsdale, Thomas. 'Tracts on Inoculation', Written and Published at St. Petersburg in the Year 1768-69 by Command of Her Imperial Majesty. London, 1781, unpaginated introduction."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Pain, Stephanie.  Histories: 'To Russia with trepidation'. <u>New Scientist Magazine</u>, 24 March, 2007, pp. 56-57."},{"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. 128, pp. 368-71.  ISBN0875871623"},{"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. 92-93, no. 30.  ISBN 987-1-85177-840-9"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Minter, Alice et al. <u>Masterpieces in Miniature: Treasures from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection.</u> London: V&A Publishing, 2021, p.57, cat.32"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Dimsdale, Thomas","id":"N7650"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"landscapes","id":"x31544"},{"text":"figures","id":"x31098"},{"text":"columns","id":"AAT1571"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"13. Snuffbox with classical landscapes\r\nAbout 1768\r\n\r\nAged fourteen, Grand Duke Paul of Russia\r\n(1754–1801) presented this ‘superb snuffbox richly set with diamonds’ to Nathaniel Dimsdale (1748–1811), as a token of gratitude. Nathaniel’s father Dr Thomas Dimsdale had successfully inoculated Paul and his mother, Catherine the Great, against smallpox.\r\n\r\nPossibly Berlin, Germany or St Petersburg, Russia; maker’s mark PAG\r\nGold, silver, diamonds and foil\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.346-2008","date":{"text":"16/11/2016","earliest":"2016-11-16","latest":"2016-11-16"}},{"text":"Snuffbox with classical landscapes\r\nAbout 1768\r\nGrand Duke Paul of Russia presented this ‘superb snuffbox richly set with diamonds’ to Nathaniel Dimsdale, the son of Dr Thomas Dimsdale, who inoculated Catherine the Great and her son, Paul, against smallpox in 1768.\r\nPossibly Berlin, Germany or St Petersburg, Russia; maker’s mark PAG\r\nGold, silver, diamonds and foil\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.346-2008","date":{"text":"2009","earliest":"2009-01-01","latest":"2009-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["LOAN:GILBERT.346-2008","LOAN:GILBERT.346:1-2008","LOAN:GILBERT.346:2-2008"],"accessionNumberNum":"346","accessionNumberPrefix":"LOAN:GILBERT","accessionYear":2008,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"GB 153"},{"type":{"text":"The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House","id":"THES50384"},"number":"1996.501"},{"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":["2018LC0910","2019LR6208","2019LT5054","2019LU3685","2019LT9998","2019LV2008"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-12","recordCreationDate":"2008-06-19","availableToBook":false}}