An 18k gold snuff box with a royal miniature
Rectangular gold and tortoiseshell snuff box. The lid set with a finely painted gouache on ivory miniature depicting King Charles X of France and Navarre against a cloudy sky in a gold surround. He wears a dark blue general's uniform and numerous military orders (including the Order of Saint Esprit, the Legion d'Honneur, and the Golden Fleece). Gold lining. Hallmarks: Paris fineness 750, 1819 – 38, maker's mark “DL” for Catherine-Adelaide Duponnois, specialised in snuff boxes, documented in 1822 - 1837 (Arminjon, no. 00886). The remaining marks indistinct. Some chips to the tortoiseshell. A small dent in the frame of the miniature. 2 x 9 x 6 cm. Weight 116.07 g.
Paris, Cathérine-Adelaide Duponnois, around 1830, the miniature by Daniel Saint (Saint Lô 1778 - 1847).
Daniel Saint, a pupil and later employee of the famous Jean Baptiste Isabey, submitted works to the Paris Salon from 1804 to 1839 and became one of the most famous miniaturists at the French court during the Empire and Restoration eras. He made several portraits of King Charles X, including one example housed in the Louvre.
Provenance
Lempertz auction 555, 24.11.1976, lot 261. North German private ownership.
Literature
For more on this artist cf.: Schidlof, Miniature in Europe, Graz 1964, vol. II, p. 710 ff.