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187
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Oblong box in multi-tone gold, the lid chased with fluting a…
See original version (French)
187
-
Oblong box in multi-tone gold, the lid chased with fluting a…
See original version (French)
Estimate €9,000 - €12,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Oblong box in multi-tone gold, the lid chased with fluting and sprinkled with pastilles, the rim chased with garlands of ribbons and pastilles on a sand-blasted background, engraved on the throat "Du petit Dunkerque", hallmark of master, charge and jurande.
Master goldsmith: (?) GF, probably Étienne-Grégoire Fournier.
Paris, 1779-1780.
(Minor restoration, wear, scratches).
Height: 2.5 cm - Length: 9.5 cm - Gross weight: 126 g
Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 22 November 1965, No. 104.
The "Petit Dunkerque", located on the Quai Conti, was the shop of the marchand-mercier Charles-Raymond Granchez. By the end of the 18th century, it had become one of the most famous shops in Paris. Founded on the Quai Conti in 1767, the establishment was later transferred to the Rue de Richelieu, where it remained until 1813.
During the reign of Louis XVI, it attracted a high-profile clientele, including the dauphine Marie-Antoinette. A mecca for Parisian fashion, it embodied the elegance and refinement of its time. It is mentioned in particular by the Baroness of Oberkirch in her Mémoires, and by Louis-Sébastien Mercier in his famous Tableau de Paris (Volume VII, pp. 81-86).
C. Sargentson (Merchants and Luxury Markets, London, 1996, pp. 119-127) illustrates a very similar snuffbox in the Victoria and Albert Museum (p. 124, pl. 72), with the same inscription on the rim. She points out that Granchez clearly offered snuffboxes that reflected the trends of the day and "successful" models. - Expert : SC Emeric et Stephen PORTIER
See original version (French)
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Ref. : 15309 - 9
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