The golden snuffboxes presented in this publication were made in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by various craftsmen. They are united by the fact that each of them was decorated with picturesque miniatures by one French artist, Henri-Joseph Van Blarenberg. During the reign of Louis XVI, Blarenberg specialized in battle scenes, as he traveled with the army and saw many battles. At the same time, the artist showed himself as a miniature master, depicting colorful landscapes and scenes from the life of the French on caskets and snuff boxes.
The first snuffbox depicts the Amboise castle. Today it is a historical and architectural complex located near the Loire River. At the time the miniature was created (circa 1780), the castle belonged to the Duke de Choiseul. However, there is no evidence that the item ever fell into the Duke's hands. Researchers of Blarenberg's work believe that the drawing was ordered for a workshop in Hanau (Germany), where he became part of the box. In those days, German masters often imitated the French in order to give their works a special charm.
On the second snuffbox there are six landscapes: an image of the castle of Romainville and its environs. The item was commissioned by the owner of the castle, Marquis Philippe Henri de Segur, who was Minister of War under Louis XVI. The gardens are designed in the then popular Anglo-Chinese style: decorated with statues, Roman temple buildings, Chinese pagodas and lakes.
The characters of the third snuffbox were the heroes of an impromptu performance - the Italian commedia dell'arte. However, the composition is not complete, since other miniatures adjacent to the central drawings are out of context. The author of the snuffbox was probably the jeweler Adrien Vashett, recognized as one of the most prolific craftsmen of his generation.
The authorship of the last item is disputed. It depicts ten miniatures with scenes from the fair life: the assembled people walk and have fun; on the lid, all this is happening against the backdrop of a large windmill. The box bears the mark of the jeweler Jean-Louis Lefer, and some researchers attribute to him the authorship of not only the product, but also the drawings, since they differ slightly in their quality from the rest of Blarenberg's works.
