Description
Designed to look like an envelope, this snuffbox was presented to a lady-in-waiting at the royal court. It is “addressed” on one side “To her Excellency my lady Praskovia Grigor’evna Butakova, . . . St. Petersburg.” The other side of the box is “sealed” with a red wax stamp. The seal on the box belongs to a member of the powerful Stroganov family. At court, snuffboxes such as this were intended as flirtatious mementoes. This example was made at the Imperial Porcelain Factory, founded in St. Petersburg in 1744.
Results