Ader
114
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Rock crystal snuffbox decorated with a coin bearing the effi…
See original version (French)
114
-
Rock crystal snuffbox decorated with a coin bearing the effi…
See original version (French)
Estimate €600 - €800
Voluntary lot
Description
Rock crystal snuffbox decorated with a coin bearing the effigy of Charles III of Spain, China, 1798–1900
Decorated with a right-facing profile portrait of King Charles III of Spain, wearing Roman armour and an antique-style laurel wreath. The usual circular text found on the original coin has been simplified by the Chinese craftsman: only the royal numeral ‘III’ remains clearly legible to the right of the profile, the rest having been omitted in favour of a smooth field or a refined stylisation. On the reverse, the crowned coat of arms of Spain (the castles of Castile and the lions of León), flanked by the two Pillars of Hercules entwined by a scroll. The rim imitates the characteristic fluting or corded edge (the security rebranding) of real coins. It rests on a small concave base. The neck of the bottle and the blue glass stopper have been fitted with a European silver setting.
Height: 5 cm
Provenance:
Millon-Jutheau auction, Hôtel Drouot, 12 and 13 December 1985, lot no. 133 (illustrated).
Publication:
Viviane Jutheau, Guide for Collectors of Chinese Snuffboxes, 1980, p. 111, illustration no. 7.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Spanish 8-real silver coin (minted mainly in Mexico and South America) was the principal international currency used by Western merchants to purchase silk, tea and porcelain in Canton.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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