A GOLD AND ENAMEL SNUFF BOX, GUIDON, GIDE & BLONDET FILS, GENEVA, 1801-1804 | A gold and enamel snuff box, Guidon, Gide & Blondet fils, Geneva, 1801-1804

rectangular with cut corners, the lid with an enamel panel, by Abraham Lissignol père, signed: Lissignol, depicting Luna in a carriage pulled by four animated white horses, their bridles held by a putto, above clouds and before the rising moon, signed Lissignol, bordered by black enamel and split pearls, the sides and base with translucent steel blue enamel on zig-zag engine-turning, the corners with panels representing a turtle-dove, an arrow-pierced heart, and two classical profiles, on pale blue enamel, the sides and base further decorated with blue, black and gold stylised taille d'épargne border, maker's mark GGB crowned incuse in lid and base

Excellent condition, minor scuff on base only
"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 Geneva in 1749, the capital of painting in enamel, Jean-Abraham Lissignol worked closely with the most skilled artists and companies in this field, among them the local firm of Guidon, Rémond, Gide & Co. (1792-1801) and its several later branches resulting from new partnerships, such as Guidon, Gide et Blondet fils, the makers of the present snuff box. One of the few recorded subjects depicted by Lissignol is The Separation of Aeneas and Dido, which, on the lid of a snuff box, was among the three boxes that the firm of J. G. Rémond had sent to the Paris exhibition in 1806 to prove the exceptional skills of Geneva enamellers and bijouters (‘A gentleman’s octagonal snuff box, enamelled with a fabric pattern in lilac and black, the top painted en plein [by Lissignol], the Separation of Aeneas and Dido, surrounded by a frame of real pearls, the base with a chased frame’ (see Julia Clarke, Swiss Snuff Boxes, in: Haydn Williams, Enamels of the World 1700-2000, the Khalili Collections, London, 2009, p. 299). Not only Roman, but also Greek mythology served as the source for Lissignol’s classical enamels, characteristically framed by split-pearl borders, as well as in the few other signed examples which can be found in major museums worldwide, such as in the Gilbert Collection in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, or the The State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, as well as in the most distinguished private collections.