Blonde tortoiseshell snuff box in the form a ship

A rare blonde tortoiseshell snuff box in the form a ship.

Neapolitan, late 18th century.

Measures 8.9 x 3.8 x 3.2cm.

The miniature frigate is extensively decorated with gold pique in the form of stars and dots, the mounts are gold and the stern is in the form of a heart.

The snuff box is in fine condition, with little damage or losses, however there is a slim vertical crack to each side of the heart on the stern of the ship.

For a similar example see ‘Eighteenth century gold boxes of Europe’ by A. Kenneth Snowman; page 408, plate 897.