A gold and enamel snuffbox, Les Frères Toussaint, Hanau, circa 1785

of shallow navette form, the lid set with an oval enamelled plaque depicting a nymph and putto at the altar of love, opalescent bead frame and borders, the ground enamelled in translucent cobalt blue over pellet and scale engine-turning, French prestige marks including maker’s mark

Good condition, very few fine scratches to enamel plaque on the lid, enamel on the back restored.
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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."

The brothers Charles (1720-1790) and Pierre-Etienne Toussaint (1726-1803/1806) were only recently discovered as eminent bijoutiers and gold box makers in Hanau in the 18th century. Of Huguenot descent, they arrived in Hanau from Berlin in 1752. By 1762, they had several German and foreign craftsmen working for them, making Hanau an important centre for the production of gold boxes. Their maker's mark usually comes with the same marks: the Hanau standard mark on the bezel - the bird's head similar to Paris discharge mark for 1750-1756, the rosette, modelled on the Paris charge mark for 1768-1774, and the crowned letter K, modelled on Paris date letter for 1773-1774. Les Frères Toussaint produced a wide range of snuff boxes. Although mainly inspired by Paris models, they also produced more inventive snuff boxes, such as a cagework example mounted with Wedgwood plaques, and another whose panels are covered with a layer of translucent dark blue enamel over a superbly engraved gold relief for Prince Carl Anselm von Thurn und Taxis (L. Seelig, Golddosen des 18. Jahrunderts, 2007, fig. 39 & 40). See Lorenz Seelig, ‘Eighteenth century Hanau gold boxes’, Silver Society of Canada Journal, 2015, vol. 18, fig. 3 for the mark and figs. 16/17 for a box of the same shape and type of decoration.