A jewelled gold and enamel Bourbon presentation snuff box, Arthur Goossens, Paris, dated 1855

shaped rectangular, the lid applied with the cipher of Henri V de Bourbon, comte de Chambord (1820-1883), below a royal crown, and four fleur-de-lis at each corner, in rose-cut diamonds, within taille d'épargne ornament on translucent dark blue enamel over a striped engine-turned ground, the base and sides similarly decorated, the sides with further fleur-de-lis in taille d'épargne, the interior of the lid engraved 'Donné par Monsieur le / Comte de Chambord/ au Baron de Schwiter / 1855', maker's mark and post-1838 Paris 3e titre (tête de médecin grec)

overall good 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."

Henri d’Artois, comte de Chambord (1820-1883), last of the Bourbon line, was the son of the Duc and Duchesse de Berry. Born seven months after his father’s assassination, he was named Dieudonné (God-given). Charles X and his son, Louis-Antoine, both abdicated on 2 August 1830 in favour of Henri, respectively their grandson and son. Still a minor, he was proclaimed King Henry V but his cousin, Louis-Philippe d’Orleans (1773-1850), refused to recognize him. Thereupon the National Assembly decided in favour of d’Orleans who a week later was proclaimed King Louis-Philippe.
Henri and his family went into exile on 16 August 1830, he taking the courtesy title of Comte de Chambord after the name of the Château which was the only personal property he was allowed to retain. The comte de Chambord continued his claim to the throne for the rest of his life, supported by a large group seeking the restoration of the Bourbons. The latter were called ‘Legistimists,’ who were in opposition to ‘Orleanists,’ who supported the cousin branch of Orleans.
In the early 1870s, as the Second Empire collapsed following its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the royalists (for the Bourbons) became a majority in the National Assembly and the Orleanists agreed to support the Comte de Chambord’s claim to the throne. Consequently, Henri, Comte de Chambord arrived in November 1873 at Versailles, waiting for the National Assembly to recognize him. General Mac-Mahon was chosen instead and established the Third Republic; Henri retired to Austria. He died in 1883 at his residence in Frohsdorf and was buried in Charles X’s crypt in the church of the Franciscan Kostanjevica Monastery in the city now called Nova Gorica, Slovenia.
A large equestrian portrait of Henri V was painted by Baron Schwiter in 1854, now in the Château de Chambord. This was probably the reason for the presentation snuff box to be offered to the artist.

Ludwig August, Baron de Schwiter (1805-1889) was born in Nienburg (Hanover) but studied and lived in Paris for almost forty years. He exhibited many of his works at the Salon between 1831 and 1859 and was awarded several prizes. Baron de Schwiter was a great friend of Eugène Delacroix who bequeathed him a painting by Watteau and another by Chardin. Delacroix made a portrait of his friend in 1827, which was rejected and then altered to emphasise the perfect Dandy.

A similar snuff box, engraved ' Donné par Mgr le Comte de Chambord à Mr Pean de St Giller – 1851', in a monogrammed case stamped OUIZILLE, LEMOINE & Fils, is recorded in a private collection.