A TORTOISESHELL AND ORMOLU JACOBITE PORTRAIT SNUFF BOX
18TH CENTURY
Auction: Day 1: Wednesday 20 August - Lots 1 - 296
Description
the oval straight sided snuff box with simple gilt bronze mounts, the cover set with an oval domed section of agate, the interior set with a portrait of Prince Charles Edward Stuart in blue velvet jacket with Order of the Garter sash and badge
Dimensions
8cm wide
Provenance
Property from the Earls of Airlie
Footnote
The miniature set to the interior of this snuff box is a copy after Robert Strange's (1721-1792) mezzotint of Prince Charles Edward Stuart circa 1749. Strange is an artist synonymous with Jacobite portraiture and this image is a very familiar view of the Prince, which was reproduced as a mezzotint and engraving. These works were very widely distributed following the rebellion of 1745, and became the most utilised basis for copies right up until 1760. In various versions changes have been made to the clothing. The plain coat of Strange's original outfit is sometimes transformed into a tartan coat, a type of cloth that had quickly become synonymous with Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite cause.
For another example of a portrait snuff box inset with a similar portrait see Scottish Works of Art & Whisky, Lyon & Turnbull, 17th August 2022, lot 366.