A laque burgauté tobacco box, German, circa 1760

rectangular with rounded corners, decorated in the manner attributed to Johann Martin Heinrici, lacquered on metal in black and richly decorated with gold and metal foil and mother of pearl inlay, the lid with a landscape of ruins and sarcophagi within a burgauté border, emulating Japanese hirameji lacquer, the sides similarly decorated with floral garlands and birds, reeded gilt-metal mounts with scroll thumbpiece

Some decoration lacking and considerable restoration and replacements of mother of pearl sections on the sides, some decoration lacking to border of lid, replacement pins to base and hinge mounts and some gilding losses, the interior with four supports for tray now lacking. General good impression.
"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."

Born in Lindau in Bavaria, Johann Martin Heinrici (1711-1786) specialised in mother-of-pearl inlay work in imitation of Oriental laque burgauté and, according to Meissen factory records, he was employed in 1745 to create such decorative effects on porcelain surfaces at a salary of 300 thaler per annum (Otto Walcha, Meissner Porzellan, Dresden 1973, p. 448, note 74) and is also recorded as teaching the technique to young apprentices.  A mid-18th century snuffbox in white Meissen porcelain inlaid with comparable mother-of-pearl decoration by Heinrici is in the collection of the Museum für Lackkunst, Münster (illustrated in Monika Kopplin, Europäische Lackkunst. Ausgewählte Arbeiten, Münster 1998, no. 31, p. 188-89).  A black toilet box with related gold and mother-of-pearl inlay in lacquered wood is in the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, and a further small snuffbox with similar mother-of-pearl and coloured gold decoration on a white quartz ground is illustrated in A. Kenneth Snowman, Eighteenth Century Gold Boxes of Europe, London 1966, plate 565.

Since Heinrici’s name is the only one known to have been associated with this type of European laque burgauté, he has long been credited with all such decoration whether on porcelain, hardstone, metal or wood, much in the same way that in the 19th century all English enamels were attributed to the Battersea factory. Certainly a number of objects decorated in this technique appear to share the same possibly commercially available metal paillons as well as design sources (a tortoiseshell toilet box of similar date in a private collection is decorated with the same subject as the lid of the current box). It seems probable, therefore, that one or more of Heinrici’s pupils was responsible for developing the technique for use on the less expensive surfaces such as wood, metal and tortoiseshell.