Gifts of Grandeur: The Mars and Venus Snuffbox, 1700

Snuff box of tortoise shell, mother-of-pearl and brass wire
England, 1700
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome snuff box has been crafted from tortoiseshell and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gilt-brass wire and green-stained ivory. Inlaid tortoiseshell in this style is typically known as “piqué work.”  Here, the piqué work of the lid depicts a scene of the classical gods Mars and Venus.

When this box was made in the early Eighteenth Century (about 1700), a fashionable gentleman (and sometimes a lady) was never without a snuff box. They were indispensible accessories which naturally leant themselves to be collected.  The proud owner would coordinate his or her snuffbox with the ensemble being worn. 

The taking of snuff was considered healthful.  However, many people simply collected these opulent boxes because they were fashionable status symbols. The finest boxes were constructed of the most precious of materials and few accessories showed the owner’s status as neatly.