17 - Rectangular snuffbox made of black tortoiseshell

Rectangular snuffbox made of black tortoiseshell Set in 2nd-title gold (840 parts per thousand) The lid, which opens along its length via a hinge, is inlaid with an oval miniature portrait of the Countess of Southampton, née Rachel de Ruvigny (1603–1640), depicted in bust form after a full-length portrait painted by Anton van Dyck circa 1640, rendered in enamel on gold, bordered in gold, within a rectangular gold frame with an amati background, the corners chiseled with cornucopias and gold foliage in slight relief, under a slightly domed glass with a gold border. Lined with gold on the inside. The reverse side of the miniature, left exposed on the underside of the lid, is painted on enamel with a central motif of a burning heart pierced by two arrows and surrounded by a Spanish motto, “fingidas encubren verdaderas” (“Beneath false appearances lie truths”), framed by motifs of clouds, flames, crossed arrows, and mavelots. Two slight cracks in the tortoiseshell; the glass is damaged. Paris, 1819–1838. Silversmith: Catherine Adélaïde Duponnois (active 1822–1837) for the “Vachette à Paris” workshop (signature engraved on the inner rim and hallmark “20 K 5”). Miniature by the workshop of Jean I Petitot (Geneva, 1607–Vevey, 1691). H. 2.3 x W. 2 cm (miniature). H. 2 x W. 7.4 x D. 4.9 cm (snuffbox). Gross weight: 106.3 g. Provenance - Martial Lapeyre Collection (1904–1984). - Fondation Napoléon (Paris) following the bequest by Martial Lapeyre in 1984. Exhibitions - Philippe Hoch (ed.), Splendors of the Empire: Around Napoleon and the Imperial Court, exhibition catalog, Manderen, Château de Malbrouck (March 15, 2009–August 31, 2009), Éditions Serpenoise, 2009, p. 85, described on p. 142 under no. 81. - Bernard Chevallier (ed.), Napoleone: Imperial Splendor—The Treasures of the Fondation Napoléon, exhibition catalog, Rome, Museo Napoleonico (February 15, 2008–May 25, 2008) & Portoferraio, Museo nazionale delle residenze napoleoniche (June 12, 2008–September 12, 2008), Éditions Sillabe, 2008, p. 191. Related Work Anton van Dyck, Portrait of Rachel de Ruvigny, Countess of Southampton, c. 1640, oil on canvas, Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria, inv. 1246-3.