Snuff Box (Tabatière) with Portrait of Marie-Thérèse of Austria
Jean Petitot (Swiss, 1607–1691)
miniature, c. 1676; box, 1775–76
Medium
Gold, enamel, and miniature
Dimensions
2.3 × 4.5 cm, l. 8.8 cm
Classification
Enamel
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Edward B. Greene
Accession Number
1957.405
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
male
About this artwork
In 18th-century France, ornately enameled boxes that held snuff—powdered tobacco—became a popular accessory in the French court. This box is decorated with a miniature portrait of Marie-Thérèse of Austria, the queen consort of French King Louis XIV. Their union was largely political. A year into their marriage Louis XIV took an official mistress, Madame Pompadour.