Box
Unknown Artist
ca. 1760–70
Medium
Enamel on copper
Dimensions
Overall: 3 1/2 × 5 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (8.9 × 14 × 3.8 cm)
Classification
Enamels-Painted
Culture
British, South Staffordshire
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
Accession Number
64.101.828
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite enamel box, crafted in South Staffordshire, Britain, around 1760–70, exemplifies the region's renowned tradition of painted enamels on copper. Measuring just 3½ × 5½ × 1½ inches, this compact luxury object likely served as a snuff or trinket box, adorned with vibrant pastoral scenes featuring fishing, graceful swans, grazing cows, playful dogs, and horses amid lush landscapes. The unknown artist's delicate hand brings to life the idyllic English countryside, evoking the Georgian era's romantic fascination with nature. Enameling, a technique involving finely ground glass powders...