REF No. 5564
Chinese export porcelain Snuffbox of globular form
Qianlong period, circa 1750
Diameter: approx 7.5cm
Price: £9,000
Chinese export snuffbox of compressed globular form painted en grisaille with European scenes.
Chinese porcelain snuffboxes are rare and this shape is very unusual. The scenes painted on this derive from European engravings though the precise design source is not known. The symbolism of the scene would have been clearly understood by an 18th century viewer: a caged bird represented a woman's virtue - seen here being released by a winged Cupid!
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
