Painted image on snuff box lid ,who are they supposed to be?

Hello
Any ideas who these figures are suppose to be on this french tortoise shell snuff box?

I feel it may be representing some scene from the bible.

Regards Giotto.

 

She's not Biblical. Is that a cave mouth on the left? It looks as though there is something on the ground near his left hand but I can't make it out, can you? Paint loss may have taken some helpful details with it. If he were not so old, I would think Circe & Odysseus.

 

Hello
thanks for your comments.
May be cave on left hand side, looks like a goat (a bit faded) is on the ground in front of his hand,I can just make out the horns.

Lazarus ,has been mentioned.

Regards Giotto

 

Which bare-breasted woman was mentioned with him?

 

Another lovely box, giotto.
Maybe a hermit being tempted by....?

 

He did have two sisters.

Regards Giotto.

 

Exactly, each of the lady's breasts symbolize Lazurus's sisters, it is SO obvious.

 

His sisters were Martha and Mary, neither of them would have been depicted like this.

 

The way his legs are crossed does make me think he is being tempted. Maybe just an aged goatherd daydreaming.

 

Sorry you missed the humour I tried to convey

 

i'm just not seeing that as a snuff box.....

 

I didn't. I didn't know you wanted a reaction though, next time please mention it if you do.
I was actually replying to Giotto, not you. Remember, Giotto, the owner of the box, he who mentioned Lazarus' sisters??

 

Post hoc, sed non ergo propter hoc.

 

She could be an oread, a mountain nymph.

I have seen similar little boxes described as comfit boxes/bonbonnieres.

 

Sure.

 

Exactly.

 

I don't think it's a snuff box. Pretty much by definition, snuff boxes have hinged lids. There are plenty of similarly sized boxes used for any number of purposes.

I think the picture is likely Saint Jerome. Other Saints faced temptations, but the story of Jerome includes periods of him living as a hermit.

As I'm seeing it (and subject to correction): On the left, emerging from that cave(?), I see a hooded figure holding what appears to be a Sacred Heart in its right hand, and something topped by a dove in its left. That might be a representation of the Trinity. (A closeup might turn all that to mush.) The vulture behind the seared man might be a symbol of death and corruption. If that's a goat in the lower right, it might be a symbol of Satan.

The scene (to my mind) is inconsistent with snuff, bon bons, or patches... but who knows?

 

Hello
Thanks for your thoughts,I think you may be on the mark with St Jerome.
it seems this is the best option at this stage.

I have added an image ,that is from a book ,European & American ,Snuff boxes by Clare Le Corbellier, 1983 second edition (1966 first)



Regards Giotto.

 

Makes your mouth water just reading the descriptions, doesn't it.

Early boxes used for snuff (16th C - 17th C) may not have been hinged, but this had largely changed by the 18th C.

In the same book, Le Corbeiller writes in the introduction. "In general, a tightly hinged cover has always been characteristic of snuff boxes..." Not to say that a box without a hinge couldn't be used for snuff. She also writes, "Circular boxes, being generally constructed with lift-off lids, were less suitable for protecting the moisture of the snuff and relatively few were made." (this being in reference to early boxes).

Kenneth Snowman writes in Eighteenth Century Gold Boxes of Europe, "Many round boxes without hinges were designed for powder, rouge and face creams; it is incorrect to describe these as snuffboxes, which were invariably hinged."

So many exquisite boxes were made for so many different purposes that it is nearly impossible to find a book on the subject that is exclusively limited to boxes made for snuff.

Of course, once the box is yours you can use it as you will.

 

how ya gonna take a pinch of snuff...with both hands occupied...