Biedermeier German .800 Silver Snuff Box Domed Lid and Repoussé Pastoral Scenes

Details

Description

Unusual 19th-century German . 800 Silver Snuff Box with Repoussé Rural Scenes and Fruit Basket Lid

A charming and unusually … Read more Unusual 19th-century German . 800 Silver Snuff Box with Repoussé Rural Scenes and Fruit Basket Lid

A charming and unusually shaped 19th-century German silver snuffbox, expertly crafted in repoussé with richly detailed pastoral scenes. Measuring approximately 1.75 inches high by 1.75 inches wide and 1 inch deep, the box features a distinctive upright rectangular form with gently rounded corners and a tapering, dome-shaped hinged lid—an uncommon silhouette for boxes of this type and period.

The exterior is decorated in deep relief with a continuous frieze of rural life: a woman rides side-saddle on a donkey while a man pumps water from a well; a herdsman guides a goat beneath flowering trees. These idyllic vignettes are bordered with geometric bands and stylized foliate borders, and the lid is topped with an embossed medallion depicting a cornucopia-like basket overflowing with grapes, fruit, and wheat—symbols of abundance, nourishment, and harvest.

Likely used as a snuffbox, the scale and construction support its function as a personal item intended to be carried in a pocket or small bag. The hinged lid and fitted form suggest it was designed to securely contain powdered tobacco or other precious contents such as face patches, keepsakes, or pills.

Stamped with a series of 19th-century German silver hallmarks along the interior rim, the piece is crafted in a high-grade silver alloy consistent with continental standards of the period.

This silver box exemplifies the blend of functional craftsmanship and decorative storytelling that defined German silversmithing in the Biedermeier to mid-Victorian period. Its expressive repoussé work, unusual architectural shape, and symbolic detail make it a rare and engaging collectible. See less