A Pearl-Set Gold and Enamel Snuffbox, Maker's Mark AI, Geneva, circa 1785

oval, the lid later set with an oval enamel plaque of a young couple in an interior with a globe, an elderly man entering the room in surprise, in a split-pearl frame, on a whisky-coloured translucent enamel ground over pellet and wavy engine-turning, the outer borders brightly-enamelled with beads and leaves on a sablé ground, the sides and base similarly decorated, the sides with further chased column dividers hung with green enamel laurel wreaths, maker's mark AI crowned incuse, small flowerhead mark, later French hibou control mark

Length 3 ¼ in.

8.3 cm