Octagonal Shell Snuffbox

Description This snuffbox sets off white carved shell against gold mounts. The uniform whiteness, large size, and curvature of the shell used suggest that these pieces may have been taken from a species of sea snail native to the Indian Ocean - showing how global trade influenced the luxury arts in 18th-century Europe.

Exhibitions

• Objects of Vertu: Precious Works of the Eighteenth Century. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1984.

Provenance Christie's Sale, London, February 22 1912, no. 33; Harding, London; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1914; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1914