Apprentice under Jacques -Louis DAVID, Jean-Urbain Guérin (1760 – 29 October 1836) was a French draughtsman and miniaturist. With Jean-Baptiste Isabey and Jacques Augustin, he is still held to be one of the most notable miniaturists of his time. He painted both King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. You will want to research this artist. At least 18 of his miniatures are part of the collections of the Louvre, Paris. I do not know the name of this beautiful young woman, but perhaps a bit more research will disclose her and her place in history. Notable nobility, no doubt, based only on her artist. The snuff box to which she is set is excellent but for a slight warp to the burl wood bottom The large snuff box is 4" in diameter and the painting is 3" in diameter, signed by the artist. Removing the painting from its mount, I found additional indications, confirmation of artist which repeats what I've noted above, and also a collector's stamp applied noting it was once part of the Boin-Taburet collection. We know of the Boin Taburet family of magnificent French silversmith fame, and feel certain this is the same family. A small inset on that photo shows Guérin's 1803 self portrait (also a miniature). This is one of my favorite portrait miniature snuffs, and certainly shows the connections to DAVID, Napoleon's most favored artist. Do you see it?
As noted above, the only imperfection to report is that the bottom half of the snuff box has a slight warp to it. You'll never notice if you display it open, lid proper, as I often do. If you close it, you will notice a little space rather than a flush closure. Such a small issue, considering the magnificent art work it carried and protects.
