A rare and important porcelain snuff box, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, circa 1770

rectangular with rounded corners, the cover with a moulded head of Athene shown in profile, the inside of the lid finely painted with a scene of Timoclea before Alexander the Great, the sides and the base with trophies, metal-gilt rim, gilt interior, unmarked

General Matthew Tolstoy, Adjutant to Empress Catherine the Great
Christie's Geneva, 11 May 1983, lot 9

Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, 1972-2003
London, Gilbert Collection, Somerset House, 2003-2008
Barnard Castle, Co. Durham, The Bowes Museum, 2008-2010

Barbara Beaucamp-Markowsky, Collection of 18th Century Porcelain Boxes, exhibition catalogue Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, 1988, pp.178-180

There are remnants of glue visible along the gilt-metal mounts. Otherwise the box is in excellent condition.
"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."

Count Matvey Feodorovich Tolstoy (1772-1815) was the son of Feodor Tolstoy, the Lieutenant Colonel of the Imperial Guards of the Preobrazhnsky Regiment, and Natalya Lopukhina. During the reign of Catherine the Great he served as chamberlain and privy councillor to the Empress and in 1812 became a senator. He married the eldest daughter of the famous Field Marshal of Russian Empire Prince Mikhail Golenischev-Kutuzov (see lot 504) with whom he had 11 children.

Three similarly decorated boxes are known to exist; the closest-related example is in the collection of the Design Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark (formerly Kunstindustriemuseet) and is illustrated by Heine 1937, cat. no. 37. The scene depicted on the interior of the lid is based on the engraving by Nicholas Lesuer (1691-1764) after the original drawing by Taddeo Zuccaro (1529-1566), popular artist of the Roman mannerist school. The painting is carried out in a continuous stipple technique which was often used in painting boxes made in St Petersburg. The scene depicts Alexander the Great and Timoklea, sister of the Theban general Theodenes, who fought under Alexander's father, King Phillip II of Macedon. When Alexander's army plundered Thebes, one of the Thracian officers raped Timoklea.  She took her revenge by throwing him into the well and stoning him to death. When she was brought in front of Alexander for justice, he was so impressed by her dignified behaviour and the achievements of her brother that not only did he order her release but also granted freedom for her and her children.

Porcelain snuff boxes are the most interesting type of object produced in the early years of the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory; many contemporaries called the first decade of St Petersburg porcelain production "the tobacco period". Their popularity was largely fuelled by the fashion for snuff-taking. In these special containers made of porcelain, the aromatic qualities of aged, fragrant tobacco could be preserved especially well. In the 18^th century, many different varieties of snuff tobacco were tailored to the tastes of even the most gallant of gourmands; as a result there was an endless diversity of snuff boxes available. These were changed throughout the day, carefully chosen to fit the seasons and always judged in accordance with the latest fashions.

Catherine II loved tobacco, especially one which was grown at Tsarskoe Selo. She always smelled it with her left hand as she wanted to 'keep' her right exclusively for kisses. She kept larger table snuff boxes in her parlour, so that it was easy for her to "take a pinch". The smaller, more elegant boxes of precious stones and porcelain were carried with her everywhere she went.

Alongside with other bibelots, snuff boxes became not only chic accessories of attire, but also inextricable attributes of aristocratic life. These items of luxury "reflect the whole spectrum of themes and decorative motifs which one could have come across in Russian porcelain of the second half of the 18^th century."

In the late 18^th century gold and gold-mounted snuffboxes were seen as generous gifts, capable of emphasising a special sort of gratitude and merit. Empress Elizabeth Petrovna became the first sovereign who personally bestowed these gestures of "distinction" onto foreign guests and those in her circle. This tradition was maintained by Catherine II and it is thought that the Empress presented one such gift with moulded trophies to her aide, General Matvey Tolstoy.  

The quality of decoration on this particular snuff box is reminiscent of the famous "paketoviye" tobacco boxes, which resembled a sealed envelope with a simulated wax seal and crest. These boxes were produced in two sizes. Those decorated solely with inscriptions cost 9 roubles and 30 kopeks; those which were painted cost as much as 22 roubles. Although these packet snuff boxes were the widely produced and became the first ware available for public sale, relatively few survive.  Today these pieces are surprisingly rare.

On this snuff box there is no wax seal, however there is an affixed label with the coat of arms of Matvey Tolstoy, which potentially suggests a parallel with the fashionable packet tobacco boxes. Typically on the lid of the box there is a memorable phrase or message. In this particular piece it is decorated with a moulded portrait of the Empress Catherine II represented as Athena, which can also be interpreted as a secret message to the recipient.

The rim and border mount serves as a gilt frame around the painting of the lid interior.  Snuff boxes of the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory were usually mounted at the Mint, under the close supervision of the head evaluator of the Mint, Chancellor Ivan Andreevich Shlatter (1708-1768).