A tortoiseshell and gold piqué snuff box with jewelled mounts, German or English, circa 1710-20

oval, the lid with piqué point decoration forming lobes decorated with smaller shells and leaves, applied with a rose-cut diamond-set openwork silver ornament, unmarked

minute losses to piqué decoration, front with traces of restoration and pins missing to base mount,
"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."

For a late 17th century silver and tortoiseshell piqué posé box of cartouche form with similar shell ornament, each lobe containing a small figure, see Anne Hull Grundy, 'The Art of Piqué Work', Country Life Annual, 1960, p. 167, fig. 1. No country of origin is suggested.
Snowman illustrates a drawing by Marcus Gunter, circa 1685, for a portrait box wonderfully decorated with various shells and starfish flanked by two smiling dolphins (A. Kenneth Snowman, Eighteenth Century Gold Boxes of Europe, Woodbridge, 1990, pl. 22).