Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Cartouche-Shaped Snuffbox
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Pieces of iridescent shell or mother of pearl were often used to decorate snuffboxes in the 18th century. However, this Dutch snuffbox is carved entirely from a very large piece of shell, likely taken from a pearl oyster. Given its size, it was probably imported from the warm Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, or South Pacific. It is intricately carved to depict the biblical story of the miraculous parting of the Red Sea by Moses to save the Israelites fleeing Egypt.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
George Robinson Harding, London; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1914, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1984 | Objects of Vertu: Precious Works of the Eighteenth Century. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Netherlands, Amsterdam (Place of Origin)
Measurements
1 x 2 3/8 in. (2.5 x 6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1914
Location in Museum
Not on view
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.
57.107