A JEWELLED GOLD AND ENAMEL ROYAL PRESENTATION SNUFF BOX, HANAU, CIRCA 1815A JEWELLED GOLD AND ENAMEL ROYAL PRESENTATION SNUFF BOX, HANAU, CIRCA 1815 |

rectangular with rounded corners, the lid applied with the rose-diamond cipher of Frederick VI, King of Denmark and King of Norway, below a royal crown, on a lozenge-shaped engine-turned panel resembling gold net and framed by collet-set diamonds, surrounded by a blue and black enamel stylised fan pattern, within chased gold scrollwork on a sablé ground, gold and black enamel border, the sides and base similarily decorated in Geneva type enamel, French prestige marks including maker's mark SC below a crown, charge of Julien Alaterre, further struck: 18K, later French import marks

Good condition, elegant box, minute loss to the enamel on the side panel below the hinge, to either side of the chased flowers on the lid, and in the third bow on the left, very few light surface scratches on the base, commensurate with age; one small area of restoration to enamel to the lower blue border on the rim
"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."

Born in 1768 in Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen as the son of King Christian VII (1749-1808) and Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (1751-1775), Frederick VI was to be the last king of Denmark–Norway, reigning in Denmark from 1808 to 1839 and Norway from 1808 to 1814.  Before his accession to the throne, Frederick acted as Prince Regent during his father’s incapacity from severe mental illness. In 1790, he married his first cousin Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel, despite the fact that his step-grandmother Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern and her brother-in-law Frederick the Great, whose collection of magnificent jewelled tabatières is still one of the most famous ever assembled, would have preferred for him to marry a Prussian princess. During the Napoleonic Wars, Frederick VI ultimately led Denmark-Norway to join forces with Napoléon. He died at Amalienborg Palace at the age of 71, leaving only two daughters, so he was succeeded by his half-cousin Christian.