Lot 133: A SWISS ENAMELLED GOLD SNUFF-BOX

by Guidon, Rémond & Gide, marked, Geneva, circa 1800, later struck with a French Provincial restricted warranty mark for gold 1809-1819, the enamel by Jean-Louis Richter (1766-1841), signed 'Richter' (lower left)
Shield-shaped box, the cover enamelled en plein with a view of a mountainous seaside landscape with a group of fisherfolk in the foreground, ships in the background, within a white taille d'épargne enamel border surmounted by seladon-green enamelled and engraved leaf borders, the black enamelled outer borders decorated with taille d'épargne gold feathers, the base identically framed and centred by a guilloché zig-zag panel enclosing a lozenge-shaped reserve with foliate scrolls, enamelled in translucent blue, the sides similarly engine-turned and enamelled and divided by four tondi enamelled in black and white and engraved en taille d'épargne with pyramids containing flaming hearts, the lid with bright-cut rims
3 1/2 in. (88 mm.) wide

VARIOUS PROPERTIES

The present box is the pair to a box enamelled by Richter now in the Musée de l'Horlogerie et de l'Emaillerie, Geneva (see H. Clouzot, Dictionnaire des miniaturistes sur émail, Paris, 1924, illustrated in colour opp. p. 1) which depicts the scene on the lid inversed. Richter appears here to have worked for the export trade to the Orient, especially China, which requested all enamelled watches and boxes to be produced in pairs.

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium