398 - RARE SNUFF BOX WITH ZOOMORPHIC SILHOUETTES IN JASPER, PRESENTED BY PRINCE NICOLAS II ESTERHÁZY TO JEAN-BAPTISTE ISABEY

RARE SNUFF BOX WITH ZOOMORPHIC SILHOUETTES IN JASPER, PRESENTED BY PRINCE NICOLAS II ESTERHÁZY TO JEAN-BAPTISTE ISABEY Oval snuff box in black tortoiseshell, mounted in 2nd-title gold (840 parts per thousand) The hinged lid, which opens with a gold push button, is inlaid with two jasper medallions featuring zoomorphic silhouettes depicting two dog heads in profile facing each other, framing a third oval in banded agate depicting an ibis in left profile within a rectangular gold frame chased with acanthus leaves and scrollwork; each medallion is circled in gold and adorned with a border of royal blue enamel. Inside is a piece of antique paper inscribed in ink with the words “given to Isabey by Prince Esterhazy.” Paris, 1798–1838. Master silversmith: Adrien-Jean-Maximilien VACHETTE (active 1779–1839). Hallmark featuring a baby’s head. H. 2.5 x W. 10 x D. 3.8 cm. Gross weight: 119.2 g. Provenance A gift from Prince Nicolas II Esterházy to Jean-Baptiste Isabey around 1812, likely in gratitude for the miniature portrait he painted in Hungary around 1812. History It is known that Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1767–1855) painted the portrait of Prince Nicolas II Esterházy of Galántha (1765–1833), a prominent Hungarian aristocrat, collector, and patron of the arts. Although the location of this miniature portrait remains unknown to this day, it is known primarily through an engraving made in 1814 by Vincenz Georg Kininger (ill. 1). This engraving is documented in the collections of the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, which dates Isabey’s original painting to around 1810; we will go a step further and suggest 1812 instead, since Isabey was among Prince Nicholas II’s guests at Eisenstadt Castle in September 1812 (documented by historian Stefan Körner in his book *Nikolaus II. Esterházy und die Kunst, 2013, p. 247). It is therefore entirely plausible that the prince presented a snuffbox as a token of gratitude for the portrait, especially since Nicholas II was a regular: on July 1, 1810, he presented the composer Luigi Cherubini with a gold snuffbox encrusted with diamonds, accompanied by a letter of thanks. Prince Esterházy was therefore in the habit of giving precisely this type of gift to artists he held in high regard.