activity finish:Two Meissen gilt-metal-mounted snuff box, circa 1737-40 modelled by J.J. K?ndler

Two Meissen gilt-metal-mounted snuff box, circa 1737-40 modelled by J.J. K?ndler

A Meissen silver-gilt-mounted snuff box, circa 1737-40. Photo Bonhams

Modelled by J.J. K?ndler, of trefoil form moulded with three cartouches enclosing a shell with pendant flowers and flanked by swags, the cover with a raised trefoil panel moulded with floral swags enclosing an oval medallion with a bust portrait of Augustus III facing sinister, the base with a moulded border painted with a yellow seeded ground edged with petals, moulded on the underside with a trefoil cartouche with a bust portrait of a man facing sinister, hung with a floral swag and surmounted by a shell with swags, the inside cover painted with a Venetian view of palaces and gondolas, box interior gilt, 6.2cm across, 4.8cm high (cover restored). Estimate: ￡15,000 - 25,000, € 17,000 - 29,000, US$ 25,000 - 41,000. Unsold

Provenance: Alfred Joseph Collection, no. 1338

Literature: Beaucamp-Markowsky 1985, no. 147;
Beaucamp-Markowsky 1988, no. 44;
Cassidy-Geiger 2007, fig. 1-31, cat. no. 11

Exhibited: Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, 1972-2003;
London, Gilbert Collection, Somerset House, 2003-2008;
New York, The Bard Graduate Centre for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture, Fragile Diplomacy: Meissen Porcelain for European Courts, ca. 1710-63, 15 November 2007 to 10 February 2008, no. 11;
Barnard Castle, Co. Durham, The Bowes Museum, 2008-2010

K?ndler's work records fpr May 1737 record: '1 sehr mühsame Tabattiere gefertgt mit antiken flachen Zierrathen, auf dem Deckel ist Ihro Majt. des K?nigs Portrait klein und flach befindlich, auf dem Boden aber ein altes r?misches K?pfgen' [1 very laborious snuff box completed with antique flat decoration, on the cover there is a small and flat portrait of His Majesty the King, but on the base an old Roman head].

A Meissen gilt-metal-mounted snuff box, circa 1737-40. Photo Bonhams

Modelled by J.J. K?ndler, cartouche-shaped, the front and back with low-relief hunting scenes within cartouches of scroll- and strapwork and shells, the cover with a larger scene and cartouche and the base with a hunting scene, the sides moulded with shells enclosed by strapwork and foliage, the inside cover painted with a Kauffahrtei scene depicting merchants and their wares by a quayside within a gilt frame, the box interior gilt, the mounts with ribbon thumbpiece, 7cm across, 5cm high'. Estimate: ￡5,000 - 7,000, € 5,700 - 8,000, US$ 8,200 - 12,000. Sold for ￡10,200

Literature: Morley-Fletcher 1979, pp. 96-97;
Beaucamp-Markowsky 1985, no. 145;
Beaucamp-Markowsky 1988, no. 43;
Cassidy-Geiger 2007, fig. 1-31, cat. no. 10

Exhibited: Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, 1972-2003;
London, Gilbert Collection, Somerset House, 2003-2008;
New York, The Bard Graduate Centre for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture, Fragile Diplomacy: Meissen Porcelain for European Courts, ca. 1710-63, 15 November 2007 to 10 February 2008, no. 10;
Barnard Castle, Co. Durham, The Bowes Museum, 2008-2010

K?ndler's work report for May 1737 includes: '1 sehr mühsame Tabatiere für d. Herrn geh. Rath v. Brühl Exc. angefangen, darauf sehr viele flache Zierrathen befindlich, und sollen Jagd Stückgen auf die Deckel und Seiten gefertigt werden, welche aber bis in kommenden Monat vollends zu fertigen aufbehalten worden [1 very laborious snuff box begun for the Privy Councillor Exc. von Brühl, on which there are very many flat decorations, and hunt scenes should be completed on the cover and sides, which will be kept to be finished next month]. The work reports indicate that K?ndler completed the box in July or August of 1737.

Bonhams. The Helmut Joseph Collection of Important Snuff Boxes, 5 Jul 2011. London, New Bond Street www.bonhams.com