misc collectibles

c1750's Battersea snuff box

1 in stock

c1750's Battersea snuff box. 3 5/8" wide x 1.6" tall. Some overall crazing and very minor overpainting at bottom rim inside and out. This and a few more Battersea pieces I'm listing have tags indicating they were last purchased at Sotheby's Parke-Bernet in the 1970's.Having already opened an office in New York, in 1964 Sotheby’s bought Parke-Bernet, America’s largest fine art auction house.Battersea boxes developed in the mid 18th century as tiny decorative containers covered with enamel or porcelain and decorated with pleasing designs. Originally the boxes were made of copper covered with white enamel, decorated with classical or religious scenes or portraits. They evolved over time to become more sentimental. The Battersea box got its name from a firm under the tutelage of Sir Stephen Theodore Janssen, Once Lord Mayor of London at York House in Battersea. The boxes were decorated by transfer printing, which took an impression from an engraved plate painted with enamel and printed on to the box which was then hand painted and fired. The firm existed only from 1753 to 1756 however other firms producing similar boxes, especially those in the village of Bilston, took up this technique. Battersea became the collective name for all such boxes. With advancements in the pottery industry due to the Industrial Revolution, Battersea boxes gradually fell from favour. Allowing small boxes to be produced at less cost than the enameled competitors made Battersea boxes decline significantly by the mid 19th century. They became popular again in the second half of the 20th century with the development of commemorative boxes produced for such well known firms as Tiffany & Co.