Acquired in 2023 by the Louvre Museum, the Choiseul snuffbox is undoubtedly the most original and famous snuffbox of the 18th century . The precious gold frame by the goldsmith Louis Roucel serves as a setting for six miniatures by Louis Nicolas Van Biarenberghe depicting the flamboyant Duke of Choiseul, the great minister of Louis XV, at the height of his glory. All the facets of the daily life of this generous and arrogant character follow one another, highlighting his hard work, sometimes solitary, inseparable from the exercise of power.
The Choiseul snuffbox also seduces with its meticulous description of the minister's refined living environment, his immense collection of paintings and art objects, thus sketching a reflection on the relationships between art and power. Finally, it offers a multitude of enigmas to solve about its origin, its successive owners, the meaning of the scenes, the identification of the places and characters represented.
French
256 pages / 250 illustrations
Éditions Faton
Bringing together a college of historians and specialist curators, this work renews all knowledge about this very small object (2.7 x 7.9 x 6.1 cm), a true monument of the 18th century .
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