Snuffbox with the Cooper Family Crest

Description Mounted on the lid of this burl walnut snuffbox are a silver plate and thumbpiece. The plate, which bears the mark of the famous Boston silversmith Jacob Hurd, has been engraved with the Cooper family crest and the letters WC, the monograms of both William Cooper (1694-1743) and of his son of the same name (1721-1809). Samuel Cooper, a member of the next generation of Coopers and possibly an owner of this box, is reported "to have sacrificed his life to the inordinate use of Scotch snuff."

Provenance William Cooper (1694-1743), Boston (?); William Cooper (1721-1809), Boston [date of acquisition unknown], by commission or inheritance; Samuel Cooper, Boston [date of acquisition unknown], by inheritance (?); Gebelein Silversmiths Incorporated, Boston [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1971, by purchase.

Inscriptions [Inscription] WC

Credit Museum purchased, 1972