A tortoiseshell snuff box with gold piqué ornament, probably Dresden, circa 1710

shaped rectangular, the lid panel decorated in gold piqué point with a bird overflying flowering shrubs, gilt-metal mounts with gadrooned borders

Lid panel loose as pins missing and three very small nicks, two on the edge. Condition of piqué generally very good although base has time wear, nicks and piqué missing. Patch of old glue near hinge at back.
"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."

Piqué ornament of this type, combining small and large pins, is usually associated with Dresden although the subject matter is close to the designs disseminated in Stalker and Parker's Treatise of Japanningfirst published in England in 1688. For further similar examples, see Clare Le Corbeiller, European and American Snuff Boxes 1730-1830, London, 1966, no. 637 and Sotheby's, 13 April 1981, lot 69.
Although here in gold, the decoration is very similar to the silver piqué point on the exterior of an oval box in the Grünes Gewölbe, Dresden, containing a miniature of Crown Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony wearing the Danish order of the Elephant which he received in 1708 but not the Golden Fleece which he was awarded in 1722. The miniature has been attributed to Rosalba Carriera whose 1714 portrait of the prince, wearing the same clothes, is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. The box has been attributed to Wilhelm Krüger (1680-1756), court ivory carver at Dresden (see Ulli Arnold, 'Schildpattarbeiten im Grünen Gewölbe', Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden Jahrbuch, 1965/6, p. 107/8 and exhibition catalogue, Königliches Dresden, Munich 1990/1, no. 129).