{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O157822"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O157822/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU2073/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU2073/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BU2073","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU2065","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1972","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1982","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2008BU1973","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/O157822/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O157822","accessionNumber":"LOAN:GILBERT.444:1,2-2008","objectType":"Snuffbox","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Snuff, or powdered tobacco inhaled through the nose, became a fashionable pursuit in the early years of the 18th century. Ladies and gentlemen followed the appropriate coded manners and offered each other snuff from rich, elegant boxes in the latest styles. From the 1720s, snuff boxes were increasingly given as diplomatic gifts. Presentation snuffboxes soon spread from France across Europe and even Russia. \n\nThis box, dated September 1837, is one of the earliest gifts presented by Queen Victoria, who had ascended the British throne earlier in June. The inscription records that it was given to Colonel Francis Venables-Vernon-Harcourt in recognition of services rendered to the Queen while she resided at Kensington Palace. Colonel Harcourt (1801-80) was a British politician who had served as equerry to Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent (1786-1861), at Kensington Palace where the princess lived prior to becoming Queen. \n\nCharles Collin &amp; Söhne was one of the most prolific goldsmithing firms during the 19th century. Based in Hanau, Germany, an important centre for goldsmithing since the 18th century, the firm created innumerable gold boxes that, having been further embellished by local court jewellers with diamond ciphers or portraits, were used as presentation boxes by the sovereign rulers of Europe and Russia.  \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":"Rectangular varicoloured gold snuffbox, the cover set with a diamond monogram 'VR' beneath an Imperial crown, within a border of diamonds and with four larger diamonds at the corners. The gold is chased with roses, shells and foliage on a matted ground; the walls chased with scrolls; the base has an applied bouquet of flowers and the interior is engraved with an inscription presenting the box from Queen Victoria to Col. Harcourt, dated 24 September 1837. ","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Charles Colins","id":"A22086"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28674"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"gold","id":"AAT11021"},{"text":"diamonds","id":"AAT11084"},{"text":"","id":""},{"text":"leather","id":"AAT11845"},{"text":"","id":""}],"techniques":[{"text":"chasing","id":"AAT54016"},{"text":"engraving","id":"AAT53829"},{"text":"setting","id":"x42734"},{"text":"","id":""}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Chased and engraved gold set with diamonds, leather case","categories":[],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2008BU2073","2008BU2065","2008BU1972","2008BU1982","2008BU1973"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"71","id":"THES49723"},"free":"","case":"CA018","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"004","id":"THES412613"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"snuffbox","id":""}],[{"text":"case","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Hanau","id":"x35689"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1837","earliest":"1837-01-01","latest":"1837-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"ca."}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Depth","value":"2.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"5.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"8.7Measured 01/02/24 IW ","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":"Measured 01/02/24 IW ","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Windsor Castle / Sept. 24th 1837 / the Queen begs Col. Harcout to / accept of the accompanying box, as / a mark of her regard, in return / for the services Col: Harcourt / rendered her when she was still / at Kensington. ","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: The Harcourt Collection.  Sale, Sotheby's London, lot 201, 10/06/1993. Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1993.\r\n\r\nThis box, dated September 1837, is one of the earliest recognition gifts presented by young Queen Victoria who access the throne 4 months earlier, in June. The inscription on the box records that it was given to Colonel Harcourt in 1837 in recognition of services rendered to Queen Victoria while she resided at Kensington Palace. Colonel  Francis Venables-Vernon-Harcout (1801-1880) was a British politician, MP for the Isle of Wight in 1852 and son of Hon. Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (1757-1847), Archbishop of York. Colonel Harcourt also was equerry to Victoria’s mother, Maria Louisa Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield, Duchess of Kent (1786-1861), at Kensington Palace where young Victoria was living until she became Queen. Colonel Harcourt then travelled in North America with his wife, Lady Catherine Harcourt, and continued to write regularly to the Queen and her mother. A painting by Harcourt himself (RCIN 401320), as well as two photographs of him, are in the Royal Collection (RCIN 2906590 ; RCIN 2911615). \r\nThe box was made in Hanau (Germany) by a celebrated firm, Charles Colins & Sons (or Söhne), for The London goldsmiths Storr & Mortimer, who supplied it to Queen Victoria. The leather case was made in London for Storr & Mortimer.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Gold snuffbox set with diamonds, Hanau, mark of Charles Colins Sohne, ca.1837","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Schroder, Timothy. <i>Gold boxes : from the Gilbert collection : an exhibition</i>, Los Angeles : Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1986","id":"AUTH354598"},"details":"27","free":""},{"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.54, cat. 29"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"9. Snuffbox and case given by Queen Victoria, about 1837\r\n\r\nMuseum no. Loan:Gilbert.444: 1, 2-2008","date":{"text":"16/11/2016","earliest":"2016-11-16","latest":"2016-11-16"}}],"partNumbers":["LOAN:GILBERT.444:1-2008","LOAN:GILBERT.444:2-2008"],"accessionNumberNum":"444","accessionNumberPrefix":"LOAN:GILBERT","accessionYear":2008,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"GB 174"},{"type":{"text":"The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House","id":"THES50384"},"number":"1996.523"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","snuffbox","case"],"assets":["2018LC1404","2019LR1756","2019LT7231","2019LU5736","2019LU2559"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-12","recordCreationDate":"2008-06-26","availableToBook":false}}