Bonbonnière

Unknown

ca. 1800 · Hard-paste porcelain, two-tone gold and silver mount · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Precious boxes made for confections and sweets were known as drageoirs or bonbonnières. Unlike snuff containers, the lids of such boxes, which are usually circular, are not hinged. Here, the charming chinoiserie decoration painted in gold and platinum on a black ground clearly imitates lacquer. It may have been inspired by the "black lacquer" porcelain made at Sèvres during the 1790s.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1800

Medium

Hard-paste porcelain, two-tone gold and silver mount

Culture

French, Paris

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973