PREVIEW: JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SILVER & OBJECTS OF VERTU: 12 MARCH

A dazzling array of snuff boxes presents a selection of memorable highlights among the Objects of Vertu in Noonans’ 12 March auction, with a fine Swiss example c.1800, expected to sell for up to £8000.

The gold box by famous Geneva makers Rémond Lamy & Cie is enamelled ‘en plein’ to the cover with an Egyptian scene probably by Jean-Louis Richter.

 

The scene depicts a mamelouk on horseback, attacked by a lion, against a landscape depicting Giza, including classical ruins, sphinx, camels and pyramids.

It is framed within a blue, black and white enamelled border with taille d’épargne gold peacock feathers, and the base is similarly framed and decorated with translucent grey enamel over a guilloché design of intersecting circles. The lid is stamped with incuse maker’s mark, while the inside base carries the St Petersburg town mark and the mark of assay master Alexander Yashinov.
In beautiful condition, it is expected to sell for £7,000-8,000.

Another early 19th century snuff box, this time of German origin, was made in Hanau and has a cover with enamelled plaque painted in the manner of the celebrated Swiss neoclassical painter Angelica Kauffman. It depicts a lady and female attendant with two dogs, a suitor at the lady’s knee. To the foreground is a swimming swan. The scene is set among trees and foliage against a blue translucent sky, and the panel is chased with a gold and wavy white enamel strung border, while the sides of the box are similarly decorated and with opaque blue enamel panels.

The box carries the incuse number ‘3906’ and is struck twice with French owl import mark for 18ct gold. The maker’s mark incuse ‘FJ’ with laurel sprigs above possibly refers to Frères Jordan of Hanau (active 1790-1820). It has a guide of £5,400-6,000.

A third gold and enamel snuff box also hails from Geneva, circa 1800. Of rectangular form with canted corners, the cover has been later applied with an enamel plaque painted with a lakeside scene against a mountainous backdrop and figures fishing in the foreground. The scene is set within a chased gold border of scrolling foliage against a textured matt ground, and black enamelled detail, edged with white enamel strung border. The base is similarly framed and centred with a blue flinqué enamel scene with a bird drinking from a tazza amidst foliage, with additional decoration.
It is estimated at £5,000-6,000.

The fourth highlight is an English example. A George III 18ct gold snuff box of rectangular form with rounded corners, by Alexander J. Strachan, London 1818, it has engine-turned decoration throughout, with a chased scrolling foliate thumbpiece.

The hinged lid is engraved to the underside with a later presentation inscription, dated 1830, to Henry B. Baring, at the time the parliamentary candidate for Canterbury.

Henry Bingham Baring (1804-1869) was the first son of Henry Baring (1777-1848), the British banker and politician, and his first wife Maria Matilda, daughter of William Bingham of Philadelphia, USA. 

In 1830 he stood as a candidate for the parliamentary by-election in Canterbury. Stephen Rumbold Lushington, the MP for Canterbury since 1820, had been appointed Governor of Madras in the East India Company in 1827, resulting in his continual absence from his constituency. Baring supported the considerable opposition from electors to Lushington standing for re-election, and he was instrumental in Lushington standing down his candidacy.

Baring himself was unsuccessful in the 1830 election, failing to gain a majority, the seat going to the Hon. Richard Watson.


The 9.1 x 3.6cm box is set to sell for £4,000-6,000.