Cleveland Museum of Art

Snuff Box (Tabatière)

Pierre Marie Gault De Saint-Germain

Date

1779–80

Medium

gold and enamel

Culture

France, 18th century

Department

Decorative Art and Design

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Decorated with images derived from ancient Greek and Roman history in the style of cameos, intricately carved gemstones, this box evokes the rising neoclassical imagery in France. The scenes on the box recount several key events in the life of Alexander the Great. The enameled works were inspired by a series of prints by Sébastien Leclerc which drew from a series of paintings by Charles Le Brun. The original series painted by Charles Le Brun, The Battles of Alexander (Les Batailles d’Alexandre) (1600s), was commissioned by King Louis XIV of France.

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