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| Snuffbox of hardstones Pietra Dura Panel, 1810 Chalcedony Case, 1819-1832 This and all related images from The Victoria & Albert Museum |
The hardstone panel which surmounts this snuffbox is thought to have been created by Giovanni Morelli in Rome around 1810. The panel features a rocky landscape in the Romantic style, depicting ruins, towers, and a swan near a waterfall.
The panel was set into this snuffbox cover between 1819 and 1832 by Parisian goldsmith Gabriel-Raoul Morel whose masterful works we’ve studied previously. This box shows Morel’s talent for working with a variety of media. The body of the box is crafted from pale chalcedony which creates the perfect background for the pietra dura cover.
This box was collected by Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert who donated their important collection of precious object and silver to the V&A.
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