32 - A 14k gold (585 parts per thousand) snuff box with a rectangular shape and rounded corners

A 14k gold (585 parts per thousand) snuff box with a rectangular shape and rounded corners The hinged lid is inlaid in the center with an oval enamel miniature portrait of a young man’s bust, wearing a wig and viewed in three-quarter profile to the left, dressed in a blue velvet coat with gold facings, set within a silver border mounted with 39 old-cut diamonds (each weighing approximately 0.20 carats); the sandblasted background features a chased design of foliage wreaths centered on a rosette; the reverse and sides have a guilloché pattern of undulations and rice grains, framed by foliage and a border of blue enamel. In good overall condition, with slight oxidation spots and small areas where the blue enamel is missing. Probably England, early 19th century. A hallmark of prestige and several French import hallmarks “ET.” An 18th-century miniature by Christian Friedrich Zincke (1683–1767). H. 1.9 x W. 9 x D. 6.2 cm. Gross weight: 141.2 g. Provenance - Martial Lapeyre Collection (1904–1984). - Fondation Napoléon (Paris) following the bequest by Martial Lapeyre in 1984. History Christian Friedrich Zincke (1683–1767) was a German-born miniaturist and enamel artist, considered one of the most important portraitists working on enamel in England during the 18th century. Born in Dresden in 1683, he trained in enamel painting before settling in London around 1706. There, he perfected his technique under the Swedish enamelist Charles Boit, of whom he became one of the principal successors. Also specializing in miniature portraits on enamel, he enjoyed immense success among the British aristocracy and the royal court, particularly during the reigns of George I and George II. His works are distinguished by the delicacy of the skin tones—with his famous red stippling on the faces—the precision of the details, and the brilliance of the colors, in this case blue. Suffering from vision problems, he gradually ceased his work and retired in 1752; he died in London in 1767. His reputation made him one of the most sought-after miniaturists of his time, and he remains highly sought after by collectors today. His works are now held in the British royal collections and at the National Portrait Gallery in London, among other places, while the Louvre holds only four of his miniatures.