Following the widespread taste for antiquity in Europe in the 1770s and 1780s, Johann Christian Neuber's naturalistic designs evolved into a more classical style: snuffboxes either featured flowers arranged within medallions, a form generally associated with ancient Greece and Rome, or were simply decorated with abstract geometric patterns.
PAST EXHIBITION
Medallions and Geometric Patterns
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Snuffbox with a bouquet of tulips, verbenas, and forget-me-nots in a medallion
Stamped neu/ber and dre/sde
Dresden, ca. 1775–80
Gold, agate, chalcedony, carnelian, jasper, and lapis lazuli
Private collection
Photo Michael Bodycomb -
Snuffbox with a sunshine pattern
Dresden, ca. 1770–75
Gold, agate, and carnelian
Private collection
Photo Michael Bodycomb