Snuffbox 1738 - 1744

This elegant snuffbox was made at the Saint-Cloud factory, likely in the first half of the 18th century, using soft-paste porcelain. The process involved mixing clay with a glassy frit, which, when fired, created a delicate, luminous surface perfect for the fashionable tastes of the era. The box's intricate floral and landscape motifs are hand-painted in delicate grey camaieu, demonstrating the painter's mastery and patience. These decorations mimic imported Chinese porcelain, but were made possible by the intense investment in experimentation carried out at Saint-Cloud. Notice the precise registration between the lid and base: this demanded a high level of technical skill. Snuffboxes like these were luxury items, emblems of aristocratic culture and global trade. They remind us that even small, beautiful objects can embody complex histories of labor, artistic skill, and the social rituals of consumption. By attending to these objects, we appreciate the skill of the artisans and the complex web of production that brought them into being.