Damascened Snuff Flask
GERMAN, CIRCA 1690
steel, silver
10 x 4.5 x 3 cm
4 x 1 ¾ x 1 ¼ in
4 x 1 ¾ x 1 ¼ in
7200
The steel flask of flattened pear shape with a ring-shaped screw-in stopper with a knop, the body inlaid with silver decoration depicting two vignettes of four figures, with another figure...
The steel flask of flattened pear shape with a ring-shaped screw-in stopper with a knop, the body inlaid with silver decoration depicting two vignettes of four figures, with another figure above, in a background of scrolling foliage and fruits.
Comparable examples can be found in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (nos. 32.75.49 and 14.25.1513) and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (accession no. M.68 & A-1930). The example in the Fitzwilliam has a cylindrical screw-on stopper with a rod within a hollow tube, the top of which is pierced with two D-shaped holes for delivering the snuff.
Comparable examples can be found in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (nos. 32.75.49 and 14.25.1513) and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (accession no. M.68 & A-1930). The example in the Fitzwilliam has a cylindrical screw-on stopper with a rod within a hollow tube, the top of which is pierced with two D-shaped holes for delivering the snuff.