White Glass Snuffbox with Shell Decorations

Description Several features of this German snuffbox reference Asian manufactures and designs. Its white exterior imitates the white of Chinese porcelain, while the applied shell decorations are likely inspired by Japanese lacquer. Set inside the lid of the box is a portrait miniature of a woman.

Exhibitions

• European Snuffboxes. Headley-Whitney Museum, Lexington. 1980.

Provenance Acquired by Henry Walters, Baltimore; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters