This rectangular, enameled gold snuffbox is chased on each side with scrolling cartouches bordered by enameled flowers and panels imitating lapis lazuli. Enameled plaques painted en plein punctuate each side. On the cover, a hurdy-gurdy player and her audience are depicted; on the base, a china seller, her assistant, and an admirer are seen; on the front, a seller of sweetmeats and her customers are captured; on the back, a boy and his dog have been painted in a scene after François Boucher; and, on the sides, a château and a garden are shown.
Around 1745, as enameled scenes dominated the decoration of snuffboxes from Paris, the bozes ceased to have the curving shapes that were fashionable in the 1730s and became rectangular with straight sides, allowing for cleaner surfaces upon which to paint these bucolic scenes.
Floral scenes, animals and birds were the most popular subjects at first, but by the 1750s, pictorial scenes showing domestic life, were dominating the medium. This example from 1760, shows the epitome of the fashion. The enamels on the surface were signed by Le Sueur who worked closely with Jean Frémin in creating this box.
Frémin became a master goldsmith in 1738 and by 1779 had become the prime warden of the goldsmith's guild and one of the most celebrated in his field. At the time of his death, he lived in luxury—showing the demand for his skills.
Like many of the snuffboxes at the V&A, this one comes from the collection of Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde.
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