{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O307002"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O307002/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2009CT0583/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2009CT0583/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2009CT0583","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CT0582","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O307002/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O307002","accessionNumber":"C.53-1968","objectType":"Snuff box","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Shells and shapes inspired by shells were popular in the middle of the eighteenth century as they were seen as a perfect expression of the prevailing rococo fashion of the day.  Indeed the word 'rococo' derives from the French term <i>'rocailles</i>' used to describe the ornament of shell-incrusted rocks found in fashionable grottoes and other architectural structures.  \n\nAt this time, the taking of snuff (finely-ground and blended tobacco) was considered a very fashionable past-time and the snuff-box became a necessary accessory for any person of taste and refinement.  Tobacco and snuff were expensive and seen as exotic and desirable. Shell-shaped snuff boxes are found in precious metals, enamel and porcelain as  the natural form is an ideal shape for a small box with a hinged cover.  At the Capodimonte porcelain factory in Naples they were made in the factory's first year of production (1743) and are described in the records as having '<i>fruttiglie di mare</i>' (fruits of the sea) on their covers.\n\nSnuff boxes were often given as gifts between those romanticaly involved, or would-be romantically-involved.  This idea is reinforced here by the finely painted interior of the box, where a Turk gestures invitingly to a young woman, here depicted as a classical goddess, perhaps Minerva, to partake of some snuff.","physicalDescription":"Snuff box and lid, moulded on the exterior with overlapping shells, mainly bivalves, and picked out in tones of pink, yellow, red, brown and grey. The interior of the base with plain burnished gilding; the interior of the lid with a candlelight-scene. The silver-gilt mount with chased scrollwork thumb-piece.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Giuseppe Gricci","id":"AUTH320227"},"association":{"text":"modeller","id":"AAT25417"},"note":"See References, below"},{"name":{"text":"Giovanni Caselli","id":"AUTH320228"},"association":{"text":"painter","id":"x36959"},"note":"Possibly (see References, below)"}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Capodimonte porcelain factory","id":"A25270"},"association":{"text":"manufacturer","id":"AAT25230"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"silver-gilt","id":"x37998"},{"text":"soft paste porcelain","id":"AAT10665"}],"techniques":[{"text":"painted","id":"AAT54216"},{"text":"gilt","id":"AAT53789"},{"text":"glazed","id":"AAT53914"},{"text":"mounted","id":"AAT81370"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilt, with silver-gilt mount","categories":[{"text":"Ceramics","id":"THES48982"},{"text":"Porcelain","id":"THES48907"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"CER","id":"THES48594"},"images":["2009CT0583","2009CT0582"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"3","id":"THES263060"},"free":"","case":"CA2","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Snuff box","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Capo di Monte","id":"x35323"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""},{"place":{"text":"France","id":"x28849"},"association":{"text":"mounted","id":"AAT81370"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1750","earliest":"1745-01-01","latest":"1754-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""},{"date":{"text":"1819-1838","earliest":"1819-01-01","latest":"1838-12-31"},"association":{"text":"mounted","id":"AAT81370"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by the Hon. Mrs A.E. Pleydell-Bouverie","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Width","value":"90","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"5/07/12","earliest":"2012-07-05","latest":"2012-07-05"},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"78","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"5/07/12","earliest":"2012-07-05","latest":"2012-07-05"},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"43","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"5/07/12","earliest":"2012-07-05","latest":"2012-07-05"},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"The silver-gilt mount bears French district mark of a rabbit's head (1819-1838) and a French maker's mark of a heart, the initials \"DL and a mullet within a diamond","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":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Snuff box and lid, soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilt, with French silver-gilt mount, made by Capodimonte porcelain factory, Italy, ca. 1750","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"For a similar box in the Mueso di San Martino, Naples, see Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Fascination of Fragility, 2010, cat. 105, where it is stated that Minieri Riccio mentions that these boxes were called 'fruttiglie de mare' (fruits of the sea) and that Giovanni Caselli had painted two of them in 1743; the painting on this Museo di San Martino box has been attributed to Caselli, and by extension to V&amp;A box C.110-1945; and the original wax model is attributed to Giuseppe Gricci; such boxes are documented as in production from 1743-1750 (Angela Caròla-Perrotti, Le Porcellane dei Borbone di Napoli, Naples, 1986, cat. 190; Alessandra Mottola Molfino, L'Arte della Porcellana in Italia, 1977, fig. 113, illustrating V&amp;A C.110-1945; see also Barbara Beaucamp-Markowsky, Boîtes en Porcelaine ..., 1985, nos. 483-484)."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"A similar snuff box modelled by Giuseppe Gricci and with inside cover attributed to Giovanni Caselli is lot 19, Bonhams, 'Fine European Ceramics', 7 December 2017."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"shells","id":"x30562"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["C.53-1968"],"accessionNumberNum":"53","accessionNumberPrefix":"C","accessionYear":1968,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LM9432","2019LP0757","2019LV2869","2019LW9611","2019LW1350","2020MP0517"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-11","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-24","availableToBook":false}}