Joseph Etienne BLERZY (1735-1821) and Pierre-Adolphe... Lot 80

Joseph Etienne BLERZY (1735-1821) and Pierre-Adolphe HALL (1739-1793). Circular snuffbox in guilloché yellow gold and blue, green and white enamels enhanced with gold paillons and pastilles, decorated with festoons, palmettes and leafy garlands. The lid is adorned in the center with a miniature portrait of an infantry officer receiving the Order of Saint-Louis, set in a frame of fine pearls. Master goldsmith's hallmark: Joseph Etienne Blerzy, received master in 1768. Charge mark: Paris from 1783 to 1789, fermier général Henri Clavel. Discharge mark: vanneau head, Paris from 1783 to 1786. Engraved with the number 721 on the throat. The miniature signed Hall.f (for fecit) lower right. Diameter : 7 - Height. 2.5 cm - Gross weight: 130.3 g (missing enamel) A highly prized accessory for the aristocracy of the late 18th century, the snuffbox's primary function was to store tobacco, but also to be admired. It was a veritable social marker, attesting to the wealth and refinement of its owner. These precious artifacts were made by goldsmiths specialized in the creation of small objects, the most sought-after being Parisian craftsmen such as Adrien Vachette, Jean Ducrollay, Louis Roucel, Etienne Nitot and Joseph Etienne Blerzy. Blerzy, who set up shop on the Pont au Change under the sign "A la ville de Leipzig, le bijou d'or", was considered one of the finest goldsmiths of his time. This is evidenced by his inclusion in the Almanach Dauphin of 1776, listing the kingdom's finest craftsmen, artists and merchants. Our case bears his Master's hallmark twice. A technical masterpiece, it combines the excellence of goldsmiths, enamellers and jewelers with the addition of delicately set pearls. Both a snuffbox and a portrait box, the object's preciousness is also due to the delicacy of the miniature that adorns its lid. It bears the signature of Swedish painter Pierre Adolphe Hall, nicknamed by Diderot "the Van Dyck of miniatures". He moved to Paris to perfect his art under the protection of Alexandre Roslin, and was admitted to the Académie Royale in 1769, before being appointed painter to the Cabinet du roi et des enfants de France. These gold-plated works were often offered as diplomatic or military gifts, intended for the person depicted. This is probably the case of our box depicting an infantry officer knighted with the Order of Saint-Louis. Objects of virtue by de Blerzy are also to be found in public collections, including a snuffbox similar to ours in the Louvre, bearing the portrait of Joseph II Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Musée Cognac-Jay, the Metropolitan Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.