Artwork
Snuffbox
Snuffbox is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The representation of a female figure suggests a focus on portraiture or idealized femininity common to the period's decorative arts.
The artwork, an anonymous painting created in 1750, depicts a woman. This subject is the sole iconographic element identified in the available records for the piece. As a small painting measuring 3.8 cm in height, the work functions as a portrait miniature, likely intended for intimate viewing or personal adornment within the context of 18th-century snuffbox decoration.
The representation of a female figure suggests a focus on portraiture or idealized femininity common to the period's decorative arts.
Technique & Style
The painting technique employed in this work is oil on canvas, a medium that allows for rich color saturation and subtle tonal gradations. The support is a stretched canvas, handled with careful brushwork that emphasizes delicate modeling of form. Stylistically, the composition features a solitary female figure rendered with soft chiaroscuro and restrained detail, reflecting the Rococo sensibility of mid‑18th‑century French art.
The artwork measures 3.8 cm in height and is part of the Robert Lehman collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Snuffbox was created in 1750 and is attributed to an anonymous artist. It was originally owned by Robert Lehman before entering the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work depicts a woman and measures 3.8 cm in height.
No specific details regarding the original commission or the precise chain of ownership between its creation and its acquisition by the museum are provided in the available records.
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is accessioned under the inventory number Robert Lehman. It was formerly owned by Robert Lehman before entering the museum's collection. The painting has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, though specific exhibition dates are not provided in the source material.
Context
The Snuffbox painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the bequest of Robert Lehman, establishing its provenance from the mid-20th century acquisition of a work attributed to an anonymous artist. Executed in 1750, the piece measures 3.8 cm in height and portrays a woman, reflecting artistic conventions of its period within the broader European painting tradition. Its attribution to an anonymous hand has been examined within scholarship on 18th-century portraiture, situating it amid contemporary explorations of gender representation and decorative arts.
The work is cataloged under the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection and remains part of their European paintings department, where it is studied for insights into Rococo-era artistic practices and the evolution of anonymity in art historical documentation.
Overview
The work titled “Snuffbox” is a miniature painting enclosed within a metal case. The composition features a solitary female figure set against an unadorned pink field. She wears a white coat trimmed with fur, a blue bow, and a cap accented with small blue blossoms, while holding a handheld fan.
Artist & collection
