Keeping up appearances

Three materials were used to produce this box: copper, gold and enamel. The gold is affixed to the surface of the copper box using a gilding technology through which gold is dissolved in mercury to form gold mud, which is then applied to the copper surface and heated up, so that the mercury evaporates and the gold sticks.

Enamel is a mixture of quartz, feldspar (fig 1), saltpeter and sodium carbonate. It was first produced in ancient Egypt. In the 6th century AD, enamel started to become fashionable in Europe because of its shiny surface, just like jewels. In addition to its shininess, enamel is easy to preserve and more resistant to oxidation.

Painting on enamel as a craft was developed in Western Europe, particularly in France. Enamel craftsmanship is mainly divided into three types, including Faience, Cloisonné Enamel and Champlevé Enamel. For this box, the painting and the red parts are enamel and were applied to the copper box at high temperature. Other smaller pieces are inlaid on the surface of the snuff box to form rose bud swags (fig. 2).