A gold and enamel Royal presentation snuff box, J.E. Blerzy, Paris, 1776

the lid inset with a miniature of Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre, by Louis-Marie Sicardi, signed and dated 1785, the king with powdered hair en queue, wearing a dark coat with the Star and sash of the Saint-Esprit and the sash of Saint-Louis, on a golden-yellow enamel ground over diaper engine-turning, the borders and side panels with garlands and sprays of translucent enamel flowers on a sablé ground, maker's mark, charge and discharge marks of Jean-Baptiste Fouache, the rim numbered: 533

Baron Henri de Rothschild, collection no. F2-47

 

Marie Antoinette au Château de Versailles, Château de Versailles, 16 May to 2 November 1955, catalogue no. 547

 

The box is in excellent crisp condition, with only very minor losses to green enamel on leaves and to white beadlets on lid side. There is a very slight old repinning gap round the edge of the lid. There is crazing to the back yellow enamel panel.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Louis Marie Sicardi (1746-1825) was commissioned to paint a number of miniatures of Louis XVI intended to be set into snuff boxes to be given as diplomatic presents. According to Maze-Sencier, 'ces jolies petites peintures lui étaient payées fort cher ; il recevait 360 liv. pour chacune d'elles ; nous voyons même plusieurs exceptions à 450 liv.' (Le livre des collectionneurs, Paris, 1885, p. 558). The boxes were usually supplied by the retailer Solle and were often also applied with diamond frames to a certain value depending on the status of the recipient. As was customary with royal gifts, the boxes could be returned to the jeweller and exchanged for the cash value; commonly the box and jewels would be returned and the miniature retained. In the 21^st century we are so accustomed to seeing images of royalty that we forget that even at this date, to be allowed to own an official portrait of the king was a special privelege. The unused boxes would then be recycled by the jeweller for a new presentation thus explaining discrepancies, as on this box, between the date of the box and the miniature. According to the Archives du Ministère des Affaires étrangères (MD 2090, no. 77), the only snuff box given as a diplomatic present in 1785 which was not embellished with diamonds was a box presented in November to M. de Reuss (Heinrich XI, Prince Reuss of Greiz, 1722-1800), privy counsellor of the Austrian Netherlands, in gratitude for his help with the extradition of 'demoiselle d'Oliva et sieur Beausire' from Brussels to the Bastille prison. (Both were later tried for their participation in the scandalous affair of the Queen's Necklace). The box had been delivered in June at a cost of 1150 livres, described as 'une tabatière d'or ovale, émaillée en jaune, avec un médaillon, de la fourniture du sieur Solle'. (We are grateful to the Archives du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.)