Snuffbox c. 1778 - 1782

This delightful snuffbox was made of porcelain in Loosdrecht, the Netherlands, in the 18th century. Note the delicate brass mounting and the dainty pink landscape scenes painted on its surface. Snuff taking was a popular social ritual among the European aristocracy. The elaborate containers designed to hold tobacco evolved into luxury objects that were emblematic of wealth, taste and social status. Snuffboxes made of porcelain gained popularity in the 18th century as new factories sprung up around Europe, often sponsored by royal or aristocratic patrons. The factory in Loosdrecht was the second to produce porcelain in the Netherlands, highlighting the growth of manufacturing and trade, as well as the shifting landscape of class and patronage in Dutch society. Further research into the ledgers of the Loosdrecht factory and the inventories of the Dutch aristocracy would shed more light on the function of this charming object. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.