Snuff or pill box
Limoges, France
1900-1925
Measurements
1-1/2 in x 2-1/2 in x 1-7/8 in
Materials
Enameled porcelain, ormolu (gilded brass)
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, anonymous loan
Accession Number
2011.36
Inscription
“Un seul coeur / une seule âme” is painted across the top of the lid. “decor main / Limoges” and “VIELLE / 364 / R. ST HONORE / PARIS / FRANCE” are painted on the outside bottom.
Provenance
Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp
Comments
This small floral-painted box displays the on-going tradition of fine enameled wares made in Limoges, France, and, in this instance, retailed in Paris. The box, inspired by 18th- and early 19th-century snuff boxes, likely served as a pill box for its early 20th century owners and users. Aside from the sentimental phrase painted onto the lid, translated as "one single heart, a single soul," the machined metal banding and clasp suggest its more recent manufacture.
