A gold-mounted tortoiseshell and cameo snuffbox, Pierre-André Montauban, Paris, 1798-1809

rectangular, the lid inset with two oval onyx cameos, one carved with Eurydice in swirling garments bitten by the serpent, after Giovanni Pichler, the other with the vestal virgin Tuccia with her sieve, after Luigi Pichler, each in a rectangular gold spandrel with cut corners, chased with leaf motifs, within dark blue enamel borders, gold mounts and lining, maker's mark, bear's head 3e titre and 3e Paris titre et garantie 1798-1809

See James Tassie, Descriptive Catalogue of engraved gems, London, 1791, gem 15486 for the cameo of Eurydice and Georg Lippold, Gemmen und Kameen des Altertums und der Neuzeit, Stuttgart, 1922, plate CLIX, fig. 8, for the cameo of Tuccia.

The overall condition is good. There are a few minor chips to the tortoiseshell, especially to the left side and to the back panel. Discreetly repaired fine hair crack to the front right corner. Some scratches to the gold lining. Cameos in good condition apart from minute hairline cracks to Eurydice, and one to foot of Tuccia. Cameos unsigned.
"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."

Tuccia was one of the priestesses of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth in ancient Rome. In order to best perform their task - the maintenance of the Vesta’s sacred fire, which was of the highest importance for the security of Rome - the Vestal Virgins had to take a vow of chastity and so were freed from social obligations such as marriage and maternity. In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, Vestals became a symbol for Republican virtue, evoked by the discovery of the Temple of Vesta in Rome and the rediscovery of Pompeii in 1748. This cameo represents Tuccia with her sieve – when her chastity was questioned, she had to prove her innocence by carrying a sieve filled with water without it leaking. Subjects from Antiquity, as well as motifs from Greek mythology such as Eurydice and the serpent, represented in the other cameo, inspired stone cutters and gem engravers, such as the Pichler family. The half-brothers Luigi and Anton Pichler, born in Italy to the Tyrolean goldsmith Anton Pichler, both studied under Neoclassical artists and soon became the most sought-after engravers of the 18^th century, particularly because of the sharpness and clarity of their cameos and intaglios of highest quality. The Pichlers received commissions from all over the world, among them one from Empress Josephine for a cameo of the Pope Pius VII, which she gave to Napeoleon I.