Cleveland Museum of Art

Snuff Box (Tabatière) with Portrait of Marie-Thérèse of Austria

Jean Petitot

Date

miniature, c. 1676; box, 1775–76

Medium

Gold, enamel, and miniature

Culture

France, 18th century

Department

Decorative Art and Design

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

In 18th-century France, ornately enameled boxes that held snuff—powdered tobacco—became a popular accessory in the French court. This box is decorated with a miniature portrait of Marie-Thérèse of Austria, the queen consort of French King Louis XIV. Their union was largely political. A year into their marriage Louis XIV took an official mistress, Madame Pompadour. This box resulted from the combined efforts of the popular portrait painter who served the court of French King Louis XIV, Jean Petitot, and master goldsmith Charles Le Bastier.

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