99th Auction
2019/5/11
Lot 204
Hanau / Attributed to Jean-Pierre and Ami Huaut, 83 x 64 x 42 mm, 141 g, circa 1780
A German four-colour gold snuff box with portrait miniature of a French gentleman and studded with diamonds
Case: 18k gold (Hanau town mark) and polychrome enamel, two later post-1838 French restricted warranty marks for gold.
The oval box is covered all-over with small, translucent mauve-coloured enamel plates in lilac-enamel frames. They are decorated with an engine-turned pattern simulating a vibrant, uneven surface with spherical recesses in frames engraved with four-colour gold autumn motifs. The cover is decorated with a central miniature portrait surrounded by glittering diamonds and a second, outer frame of two-colour gold taille d'épargne vines. The miniature under glass is of magnificent quality and shows a nobleman in a periwig turned to the right, wearing a frilly shirt and a royal blue cloak with orange pattern.
The outstanding quality of the enamel miniature attributes this portrait of a nobleman to the brothers Jean-Pierre (1655-1723) and Ami Huaut (1657-1724). Their enamel paintings set themselves apart from others in the Geneva school because of their unique and extraordinary beauty. They were not only highly treasured at the time but continued to be admired as masterpieces of art in the centuries that followed and were often used to finish other pieces such as this one here. The portrait was fitted on a snuff box that is approximately a 100 years younger and is protected by a particularly thick, purpose-made glass.
Pierre, who was the founder of the Huaud dynasty, was born in 1612 in Geneva; he was the son of French goldsmith Jean Huaud. Pierre settled in Geneva in 1630 and three of his eleven children would eventually become famous emailleurs: Pierre II (1647-1698), Jean-Pierre (1655-1723) and Ami (1657-1724). Jean-Pierre and Ami formed a partnership in 1682 and were called to the Prussian court as painters. They moved to Berlin and worked for Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg.
A German four-colour gold snuff box with portrait miniature of a French gentleman and studded with diamonds
Case: 18k gold (Hanau town mark) and polychrome enamel, two later post-1838 French restricted warranty marks for gold.
The oval box is covered all-over with small, translucent mauve-coloured enamel plates in lilac-enamel frames. They are decorated with an engine-turned pattern simulating a vibrant, uneven surface with spherical recesses in frames engraved with four-colour gold autumn motifs. The cover is decorated with a central miniature portrait surrounded by glittering diamonds and a second, outer frame of two-colour gold taille d'épargne vines. The miniature under glass is of magnificent quality and shows a nobleman in a periwig turned to the right, wearing a frilly shirt and a royal blue cloak with orange pattern.
The outstanding quality of the enamel miniature attributes this portrait of a nobleman to the brothers Jean-Pierre (1655-1723) and Ami Huaut (1657-1724). Their enamel paintings set themselves apart from others in the Geneva school because of their unique and extraordinary beauty. They were not only highly treasured at the time but continued to be admired as masterpieces of art in the centuries that followed and were often used to finish other pieces such as this one here. The portrait was fitted on a snuff box that is approximately a 100 years younger and is protected by a particularly thick, purpose-made glass.
Pierre, who was the founder of the Huaud dynasty, was born in 1612 in Geneva; he was the son of French goldsmith Jean Huaud. Pierre settled in Geneva in 1630 and three of his eleven children would eventually become famous emailleurs: Pierre II (1647-1698), Jean-Pierre (1655-1723) and Ami (1657-1724). Jean-Pierre and Ami formed a partnership in 1682 and were called to the Prussian court as painters. They moved to Berlin and worked for Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg.
Sold
estimated
22.000—30.000 €
Price realized
34.900 €