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Holt Antiques at Walsingham Mill

Rare 18th-Century Antique Treen Miser's Snuff Box, circa 1750-1820

Rare 18th-Century Antique Treen Miser's Snuff Box, circa 1750-1820

£475.00 GBP
£475.00 GBP
Sale Sold
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A rare antique fruitwood "miser's" snuff box, the lid richly carved with a Marian devotional programme: at the centre, the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception in the Iberian or Southern European tradition — the Tota Pulchra type — shown in glory with flanking angels and attendant saints, inscribed S. MARIA. Surrounding roundels contain putti or cherubim in various poses; six-pointed stars punctuate the field.
So named for the spring-loaded or gravity-operated sliding inner disc that conceals the snuff cavity, requiring a specific technique (typically pressing the boss and tilting) to reveal the contents. The mechanism discouraged casual borrowing from fellow snuff-takers, hence the sobriquet.
 
The box is in good, working condition and has a pleasing colour and patina. Turned from a single piece of dense close-grained fruitwood — with the characteristic end-grain base visible in Image 6, confirming lathe-turned construction from the solid. The milled or gadrooned rim edge is a hallmark of quality treen work of the period.
Provenance: The iconographic scheme strongly suggests Iberian or possibly Southern French Catholic origin, circa 1750-1820. Miser's snuff boxes with religious decoration are well-documented in Pinto's *Treen and Other Wooden Bygones.* Plain examples are common, devotionally decorated examples considerably less so.
Material: Fruitwood.
Condition: Good.

Dimensions:  Diameter 8 cm (3.15 inches)  x Height 2.25 cm (0.89 inches)

 

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