A FOUR-COLOUR GOLD CARILLON MUSICAL BOX, GERMAN, CIRCA 1775 | A four-colour gold carillon musical box, German, circa 1775

oval, the lid, sides and base chased appropriately with coloured gold musical trophies on sablé medallions, the reeded ground embellished with ribbon-tied swags and laurel, the sides further chased with flowers and scrolls, the sides and hinged base also pierced to aid the sound of the 7 layered carillon movement concealed within the base, maker's mark M & P within a rectangle and between two leafy flourishes

Collection de Monsieur A.G., vente, Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 9 Mai 1934, lot 176

The box in generally excellent condition. Tip of lefthand swag on lid lifting slightly. Key missing. The skeletonised movement appears to be complete, but is currently not working, and requires servicing and overhaul.
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The maker's mark M & P in a rectangle which appears on this box appears in various permutations on a number of  snuff boxes of excellent quality, both chased and enamelled, in museum and private collections. It is generally agreed that these boxes are not of Swiss origin and the most likely solution would be that they originate from Germany, and more specifically from Hanau, a centre of gold snuff box production in the 18th and 19th centuries, although no makers there with matching initials have so far been identified. Furthermore the mark does not appear to be found in conjunction with the Hanau shell or birdhead standard marks. The late Charles Truman discussed a gold and enamel box struck with this mark in the Wallace Collection (Charles Truman, The Wallace Collection Catalogue of Gold Boxes, London, 2013, no. 73).

The maker's mark M & P in a rectangle which appears on this box appears in various permutations on a number of  snuff boxes of excellent quality, both chased and enamelled, in museum and private collections. It is generally agreed that these boxes are not of Swiss origin and the most likely solution would be that they originate from Germany, and more specifically from Hanau, a centre of gold snuff box production in the 18th and 19th centuries, although no makers there with matching initials have so far been identified. Furthermore the mark does not appear to be found in conjunction with the Hanau shell or birdhead standard marks. The late Charles Truman discussed a gold and enamel box struck with this mark in the Wallace Collection (Charles Truman, The Wallace Collection Catalogue of Gold Boxes, London, 2013, no. 73).