Snuff Box (Tabatière)
Francois Guillaume Tiron · 1756–57 · Cleveland Museum of Art
Guide
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From the museum
The miniature paintings that decorated snuff boxes were depicted in intricate detail requiring complex technical skill. This box’s miniatures are painted with enamel en plein, meaning the enamel has been applied directly to the metal of the box. A different enameling technique, basse-taille, is used to depict the doves and floral borders. Here, the gold has been chiseled away and filled with translucent enamel in order to produce a three-dimensional effect. In the mid-1700s François-Guillaume Tiron worked alongside his brother, Jean-Marie Tiron, one of the most celebrated makers of gold boxes of the 18th century.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0
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Details
- Maker
- Francois Guillaume Tiron (French)
- Date
- 1756–57
- Medium
- gold and enamel
- Dimensions
- Overall: 3.2 x 5.1 cm (1 1/4 x 2 in.)
- Place of origin
- France
- Held by
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · Not on view
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Edward B. Greene
Image: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0
