Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Snuffbox in the Form of an Envelope
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
Designed to look like an envelope, this snuffbox was presented to a lady-in-waiting at the Russian imperial 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.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Alexandre Polovtsoff (Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Polovtsov), Saint Petersburg and Paris, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2017-2018 | Fabergé and the Russian Crafts Tradition: An Empire's Legacy . The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1984 | Objects of Vertu: Precious Works of the Eighteenth Century. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 8/20/2015 | Treatment | The snuff box in the shape of an envelope is intact with only minor wear from use. A simulated seal and crest in red overglaze are present on the underside of the box. The mark of the Imperial Porcelain Factory, the double eagle, is stamped on the interior of the porcelain box. The gold mounts are unmarked. |
| 8/20/2015 | Treatment | Cleaned for exhibition |
Geographies
Russia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Overall H: 1 3/8 × W: 3 3/8 × D: 2 9/16 in. (3.5 × 8.5 × 6.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
48.769