Jewellery, Watches, Silver & Objects of Vertu

A Swiss gold and enamel snuff box, Geneva, circa 1800, of rectangular form with canted corners, the cover later applied with an enamel plaque painted with a lakeside scene against mountainous backdrop, with figures fishing in the foreground, within a chased gold border of scrolling foliage against a textured matt ground, and black enamelled detail, edged with white enamel strung border, the base similarly framed, and centred with a blue flinqué enamel scene with a bird drinking from a tazza amidst foliage, the sides similarly decorated with blue enamel bands, the cut corners with chased foliate sprays, the left flange later struck twice with French import mark for gold ‘ET’, (in use between 1864-1893), the right flange with Austrian Empire tax code mark for Vienna, (in use between 1807-1866), length 9.2cm. £5,000-£6,000

Christie’s London, 10 December 2002, lot 198.