A circular cagework snuffbox or bonbonnière in gold 'á trois couleurs' with red carnelian and Meissen porcelain plaques as well as a hidden portrait of Prince Franz Xavier of Saxony (1730–1806), c. 1765

Attributed to Johann Christian Neuber

Exhibited by trias Art Experts

Material Gold, carnelian, porcelain

Dimensions 2.8 × 5.5 × 5.5 cm

Place of Creation Dresden and Meissen

Status Vetted

About the Work

The circular cagework snuffbox or bonbonnière, executed in three tones of gold, is set with thin plaques of red carnelian and Meissen porcelain painted with scenes of children. The central medallion on the lid opens on a tiny hinge to reveal a miniature portrait of Prince Xavier of Saxony (1730–1806), depicted in ceremonial armour and a blue sash against a landscape background. The miniature follows an original by François Guérin (1717–1801), now in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden. While the finely executed miniature paintings on the porcelain plaques were presumably carried out by Johann Georg Loehnig (1743–1806), the box itself may be attributed to the stone cutter and court jeweller Johann Christian Neuber (1736–1808). As court jeweller, Neuber had a lasting influence on the culture and goldsmithing of Dresden during the reign of Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and was renowned for his distinctive combinations of gold with (predominantly Saxon) gemstones.

The hidden portrait suggests that the piece may have been intended as a gift from Franz Xaver to his beloved Clara Maria Spinucci (1741–1792), a lady-in-waiting to Electress Maria Antonia of Saxony, whom he married morganatically in 1765.

Three further comparable precious boxes from Neuber’s early creative period, likewise combining gold, semi-precious stones and Meissen porcelain, are illustrated in: Alexis Kugel (ed.), Gold, Jasper and Carnelian. Johann Christian Neuber at the Saxon Court, London 2012, p. 336, nos. 10–12.

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