Table snuffbox

Jacques de Lajoüe

ca. 1745–50 · Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The niello, a preeminently important Russian technique of decorating silver, follows the print Naufrage by Jacques de Lajoue (1687–1761), published in Paris in 1736 and integrated into a pattern book. A copy was in Catherine's extensive library. The exuberant wave and shell-like rocaille formations perfectly illustrate the Central European Rococo style, referring to the turban snail's origins in the exotic Indo-Pacific Ocean. Related turban-snail cases bearing Chinese inscriptions document that they were imported into Russia from China, where they originally served as ceremonial wine cups.

Artist

Jacques de Lajoüe

Date

ca. 1745–50

Medium

Green Turban snail shell; gilded, matted, punched, and engraved silver; niello

Culture

Russian, probably Velikiy Ustyug

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Purchase, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, by exchange, and Rogers Fund, 1995