Historically Important Antique 19th C. Gilt Snuff Box for Hannah Crowninshield

Details

Description

An historically important gilt bronze snuff box.

With highly detailed Neoclassical engraving throughout to the lid and sides.

With a … Read more An historically important gilt bronze snuff box.

With highly detailed Neoclassical engraving throughout to the lid and sides.

With a cursive inscription to the base for Hannah Crowninshield (1789-1834), member of the prominent Crowninshield American family.

The Crowninshields were part of the 'Boston Brahmins', a term used to refer to refer to Boston's old wealth, gentry, Protestant families.

Hannah was a portrait artist of considerable skill - she notably drew a highly accurate portrait of Revolutionary War General John Stark, the 'Hero of Bennington'. John Adams himself also highly praised her skills, humorously writing in correspondence to Bentley in 1810 that "[Hannah's was] the only portrait of me that ever was made with any appearance of Wisdom or Dignity."

The Crowninshields were a prominent naval and mercantile family. Hannah's father, Benjamin Crowninshield, was most well known for captaining the first voyage of the first oceangoing pleasure yacht built in the United States, Cleopatra's Barge - it was also the first American pure pleasure craft to cross the Atlantic.

Hannah resided at the Crowninshield-Bentley house for a large part of her life and had an extremely close bond with William Bentley. Bentley baptized Hannah in 1789, they cohabitated in the house, Bentley was Hannah's primary educator for the entirety of her youth (and she his favorite pupil), and he officiated her marriage to Commodore James Armstrong in 1819. In his diary on the day of her marriage, Bentley wrote: "I hope H. [Hannah] will be happy. It will be my happiness."

Simply a wonderfully worked box with a fascinating historical connection!

Date:
Late 18th or Early 19th Century

Overall Condition:
It is in overall good, as-pictured, used estate condition.

Condition Details:
There is some rubbing to the gold throughout and a visible spot of gold loss to the base. Otherwise, there is some light edge wear, some light dings and indentations here and there, some fine and light surface scratches, and other signs of light wear consistent with age.

Marks:
Apparently unmarked

Measurements:
Height: ca. 22.7 mm
Width: ca. 66.3 mm
Depth: ca. 36.7 mm

Weight: ca. 52.3 g

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