ANTIQUE 19thC GERMAN GOLD & ENAMEL SNUFF BOX, FRERES JORDAN, HANAU c.1800
Antique 19th Century German gold and enamel snuff box. This elongated rectangular snuff box, features cut corners and a lid adorned with intricate enamel work. The lid's central plaque, engraved with a lute instrument against a light blue flooded background. Fine gold linear patterns reminiscent of strawberry seeds are set against the black enamel, adding texture to the design. The cut corners are engraved with leaf motifs. The underside mirrors the decorative theme, centering on an elongated octagonal black and white enamel pattern, flanked by engraved acanthus leaf half-wreaths.
Hallmarked later with a UK import stamp (pre-1975), 9k gold (375 standard), London, and the sponsor's mark "CEL". Inside the body: German hallmarks, though their exact meaning is unidentified.
The box bears a sunburst mark, a pseudo-mark for Hanau, Freres Jordan (active 1790-1820), and the lid is further marked with a letter "U"
Reference Number: A10729
Antique 19th Century German gold and enamel snuff box. This elongated rectangular snuff box, features cut corners and a lid adorned with intricate enamel work. The lid's central plaque, engraved with a lute instrument against a light blue flooded background. Fine gold linear patterns reminiscent of strawberry seeds are set against the black enamel, adding texture to the design. The cut corners are engraved with leaf motifs. The underside mirrors the decorative theme, centering on an elongated octagonal black and white enamel pattern, flanked by engraved acanthus leaf half-wreaths.
Hallmarked later with a UK import stamp (pre-1975), 9k gold (375 standard), London, and the sponsor's mark "CEL". Inside the body: German hallmarks, though their exact meaning is unidentified.
The box bears a sunburst mark, a pseudo-mark for Hanau, Freres Jordan (active 1790-1820), and the lid is further marked with a letter "U"
Reference Number: A10729
Antique 19th Century German gold and enamel snuff box. This elongated rectangular snuff box, features cut corners and a lid adorned with intricate enamel work. The lid's central plaque, engraved with a lute instrument against a light blue flooded background. Fine gold linear patterns reminiscent of strawberry seeds are set against the black enamel, adding texture to the design. The cut corners are engraved with leaf motifs. The underside mirrors the decorative theme, centering on an elongated octagonal black and white enamel pattern, flanked by engraved acanthus leaf half-wreaths.
Hallmarked later with a UK import stamp (pre-1975), 9k gold (375 standard), London, and the sponsor's mark "CEL". Inside the body: German hallmarks, though their exact meaning is unidentified.
The box bears a sunburst mark, a pseudo-mark for Hanau, Freres Jordan (active 1790-1820), and the lid is further marked with a letter "U"
Reference Number: A10729
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The sunburst mark is the mark of Frères Jordan, a renowned goldsmithing firm active in Hanau between 1790 and 1820.
Several gold boxes bearing the sunburst mark and "FJ"—often accompanied by a laurel wreath above, with or without a sunray symbol, as well as a distinctive crossed-S mark—were historically attributed to François Joanin of Geneva. However, current scholarship suggests that these pieces were more likely the work of skilled Huguenot goldsmiths operating in the Rhineland, particularly in the flourishing centers of Hanau and Berlin during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Distinctive characteristics of these boxes include their finely executed shallow construction, elegantly canted corners, and intricate decorative motifs. Additionally, many examples feature an inventory number discreetly struck on the right-hand rim of the cover, further supporting the theory of a systematic production process. Based on stylistic and technical analysis, the manufacturing period for these gold boxes is now believed to range from approximately 1790 to 1820.
CONDITION
In Great Condition - Wear expected with age. Please refer to photographs.
SIZE
Height: 1.2 cm // 0.47 inches
Width: 8.7 cm // 3.43 inches
Depth: 2.5 cm // 0.98 inches
Weight: 45.4 g // 1.46 ozt