VERY RARE! A researcher contacted me recently to ask if they could use images of 2 of my own collection snuff boxes, and explained that of this age and type, each Masterpieces, there are only 1046 known to still exist. I own 2 of those. I've seen such pieces over the decades in museums. I hadn't realized they were that rare. Most are in museum and private collections. I have, in final 2 images, shown some pages from an early book showing a few. I've had mine for decades, and everyone who's seen them marvels at how someone could carve that scene from ivory. So delicate. I can't begin to explain it. Ivory is a very hard material. This was c.1700s tools, no benefit of a modern Dremel, nor laser cutting tools. This was an art. Few remain. I have this and one other (sold separately). It's time to part with my collections. They only live with me. No one truly owns anything like this. We just get the immense pleasure of their company for perhaps a lifetime. They live on!
Very good to excellent condition. Likely estate piece from Royal family collections, parsed out bit by bit over centuries, or tucked away and only unearthed when the final generation no longer has any idea nor places a value of these "old things", the decorative arts of 250-300 years ago. This one survives as close to unscathed as in even imaginable. There are fine hairlines of age, but no damage or loss to the incredibly tiny carving housed under original convex glass up top. I have shown all in the various images for your review. Shrinkage of 3 centuries. Additionally, a 3/4" section of the inner lip, over which the top fits smoothy, has been lost to time. The box is 2 3/8" diameter and 3/4" tall, closed. The people in the carved scene are less than 3/8" tall. Imagine!
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding antique tortoise shell or ivory: We are great supporters of protection for endangered species in our modern world. We never buy or sell anything 100 years or newer; we donate to anti-poaching organizations; we don't hunt; we conserve in ways that impact global warming (we're totally solar at home), knowing those measures also protect the animals in the wild today. We also recognize the vast cultural history we preserve with our care and reverence for these antique objects, and agree with CITES that objects over 100 years of age have nothing whatsoever to do with species depletion in our current world.
Our offering exceeds the age limitation of "more than 100 years of age", and is well within the exemption for CITES regulation. If imported, met the CITES regulation. This item will be handled and shipped from our Utah business, and is not available for shipment internationally, nor within the USA to California, NY, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington if it contains ivory, sorry. Please see our small print for more details.
