Gold, Jasper, and Carnelian:
Johann Christian Neuber at the Saxon Court
May 30 through August 19, 2012
Medallions and Cameos | Next >>
The lids of many snuffboxes by Johann Christian Neuber
were once decorated with a medallion, often featuring
a miniature portrait of a loved one. The medallion is an
interchangeable element, often replaced by the boxes' successive
owners, who used the box as a luxurious frame for
a precious miniature or cameo, both fashionable among
nineteenth- and twentieth-century collectors.
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Snuffbox with a medallion portrait of Friedrich Augustus III, Elector of Saxony, attributed to Dolst
Signed "Neuber à Dresde"
Dresden, c. 1775
Gold, carnelian, agate, moss agate, jasper, petrified wood, faux-pearls, and watercolor on paper
Private collection
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Snuffbox with a medallion portrait of an unknown woman in a blue dress by Christian Friedrich Zinke (1684/85–1767)
Dresden, c. 1770–75
Gold, agate, chalcedony, carnelian, diamonds, and painted enamels
Private collection
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Snuffbox with a cameo representing Ariadne in profile
Dresden, c. 1780–85
Gold, carnelian, chalcedony, lapis lazuli, faux-pearls, and moss agate
Private collection |
The exhibition is co-organized by the Grünes Gewölbe of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Galerie J. Kugel, Paris, and The Frick Collection. Support for the presentation in New York is generously provided by Walter and Vera Eberstadt, Aso O. Tavitian, Margot and Jerry Bogert, and an anonymous donor. |
