Lot 152
  • 152

Italian, circa 1780

Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
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Description

  • Snuff box
  • unmarked
  • lava-stone, gold mounts
  • 8cm., 3 1/4 in wide
  • Italian, circa 1780
the lid applied with a bouquet of summer flowers and foliage (detached), possibly Dresden

Provenance

Princess Catherine Dashkov (1742-1810), given to:
Miss Martha Wilmot (Mrs Bradford)to her daughter Catherine Bradford
thence by descent to General William Bradford
given to the parents of: a Lady of Title
her sales Christie's Geneva, 8 May 1979, lot 41
Sotheby's Geneva, 13 November 1986, lot 232

Condition

glass flowers detached, otherwise 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."

Catalogue Note

Princess Catherine Dashkov was the intimate friend and confidante of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, during the early part of her reign. She travelled widely in Europe: to England in 1769 and 1778, to Paris in 1769 and 1780, and to Italy in 1780, when she probably acquired this box. The Princess gave most of her property and her collections of bibelots and souvenirs to her English companion, Martha Wilmot, who had accompanied her in exile to Troistskoie between 1804 and 1810. Miss Wilmot later married a Mr Bardford, then Chaplain to the English Ambassador in Vienna and subsequently moving to Storrington. Towards 1859, she helped her daughter Catherine to make a catalogue of Princess Dashkov's collection, known in the family as the 'Green Book', with watercolour illustrations, decriptions and any known history of the objects. This snuff box was described in the 'Green Book' as: 'Snuffbox of Lava from Mount Vesuvius, with a bunch of flowers of Saxon Pebbles'.