Skip to main content

Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

to
203
744
7
1
100
306
338
8
119
78
60
23
12
28
14
8
15
18
31
12
4
71
50
48
34
24
20
12
12
10
9
9
8
5
5
4
2
2
556
355
135
121
111
457
258
616
168
111
111
78
Height
to
Width
to
752
750
750
45
34
11
10
4
Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes For Sale
Snuff box in nickel silver in the Russian style with a gold base and city motifs
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Snuff box in nickel-plated silver in the Russian style with a gold bottom and city motifs. Metal: Silver. Origin: Russian. Mark: St Petersburg grams. Weight: 103.49 gram...
Category

Early 19th Century European Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Mid-18th Century Decorative Lacquered Wooden Tobacco Snuff Box Black
Located in Brescia, IT
This fine wood lacquered wood case is painted both on the sides: there is the elegant portrait of a pretty woman on one side and on the other side, a natura...
Category

Mid-18th Century Austrian Baroque Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Lacquer, Wood, Fabric

Rectangular silver snuff box with cathedral panorama and relief back
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Rectangular silver snuff box with cathedral panorama engraving, relief back with double herringbone stripe. Metal: Silver. Origin: European. Mark: Absent. Weight: 56.71 ...
Category

20th Century European Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Silver snuff box with relief country motifs on the hinged lid
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver snuff box with relief country motifs on the hinged lid. Metal: Silver. Origin: Dutch. Brand: ABD. Weight: 79.52 grams. Dimensions: 8.1x1.9cm. Content: 833/1000. A...
Category

20th Century European Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Chinese Export Silver Cigar Box by Hung Chong & Co.
Located in Savannah, GA
Sterling silver cigar box marked Hung Chong (or Cheong) & Co., silversmiths & retailers, Canton, China, circa 1860-1930. Classic intertwined ...
Category

1920s Chinese Chinese Export Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

Antique English Battersea South Staffordshire Enamel Table Snuff Box
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine and rare antique 18th century South Staffordshire or Battersea enamel table snuff box. The lid has a scene of two noble, young couples in...
Category

18th Century English George III Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Enamel

Antique 18th Century Mennecy Figural Mouse Snuff or Patch Box
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A rare figural porcelain snuff box in the form of a mouse attributed to Mennecy porcelain. Having a porcelain mounted lid with wonderfully hand-...
Category

18th Century French Rococo Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Porcelain

Paper Mache Snuff Box with Silver Piqué, 19th Century
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Papier-mâché Snuff Box with Silver Piqué, 19th Century This rectangular, oblong snuff box is constructed of papier-mâché with a black lacquer finish. It features a complete silver pi...
Category

19th Century English Other Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Chinese Bronze Opium Box, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
A petite bronze canister once used to store a smoker's personal supply of opium paste. A keepsake from a bygone era, the small box dates to the early 20th century and provided an air...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Bronze

18th Century French Walnut Wooden Snuffbox, "Le Patre"
Located in Delft, NL
18th Century French Walnut Wooden Snuffbox, "Le Patre" French Walnut Wooden Snuffbox Titled "Le Patre" Walnut wooden box with a scene of a landscape Beautiful detailed cut scenery o...
Category

Late 18th Century French Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Walnut

Mid-Century European Ceramic Tobacco Jar with Pipe and Nautical Motifs
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
A rare and highly decorative 20th century ceramic tobacco jar, likely of European origin. This finely crafted piece features intricate black transfer designs of assorted pipes, inclu...
Category

20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Ceramic

French School 1790 Louis XVI Oval Snuff Box in 18kt Gold with Miniature Portrait
Located in Miami, FL
Presentation Snuff box from the 18th century French School. A very important and rare Neoclassical oval box, made in Paris, France circa 1790. It was crafted with translucent natu...
Category

1790s French Neoclassical Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold

Majolica Tobacco Box Pot Jar by Johann Maresch, Austria, circa 1900
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This offer is for one of our rare Majolica items, an exceptional tobacco box pot or jar out of the sack series by Johann Maresch from the beginning of the 20th century. The beautiful...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Majolica

Snuffbox white enamel sterling silve stylised birdr miniature on the lid Salimba
Located in Firenze, FI
Round curved snuffbox in 925/1000 sterling silver with translucent fired enamels on guilloché, above and below, and miniature on the lid of a stylised bird, hand painted by the paint...
Category

1960s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel

Small Antique Tobacco Tin, English, Copper, Silver Plate, Lidded Box, Edwardian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a small antique tobacco tin. An English, copper and silver plate lidded box, dating to the Edwardian period, circa 1910. Pleasingly time ...
Category

Early 20th Century British Edwardian Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver Plate, Copper

Pill Box Empire style handpainted Sterling Silver fine hand engravings Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Shaped pill box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with a hand-painted miniature with fired enamel by the painter Romano Buccioni in the Louis XVI Empire style of the second hal...
Category

1970s Italian Empire Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel

Antique Mixed Wood & Marquetry Cigar Box with Glass Insert C1910
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique Mixed Wood & Marquetry Cigar Box with Glass Insert C1910. Measures - 9"H x 7.75"W x 7.75"D. An antique cigar tobacco box from circa 1910, crafted with mixed wood and intri...
Category

20th Century Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Wood

George III Concentric Snuff Box Made in London in London by Joseph Ash I, 1807
Located in London, GB
An Extremely Rare George III Concentric Snuff Box Made in London in London in 1807 by Joseph Ash I. As with vinaigrettes, concentric Snuff Boxes are rare. This example is circular i...
Category

19th Century English George III Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Sterling Silver and Black Onyx Hinged Snuff or Pill Box With Silver Braid Detail
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A sterling silver Snuff or Pill Box with a hinged lid. The top has a quilted style top centered with a braid of silver and a Black Onyx Bead. A compliment to any desk, or discreetl...
Category

20th Century Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Onyx, Sterling Silver

A Gold Mounted Moss Agate Snuff Box
Located in Spencertown, NY
The mottled brown agate with translucence when held to light. The cover with a gold rope twist edge above hinged clasp with wreath and berry design above a cushion base
Category

Mid-19th Century French Neoclassical Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Agate, Gold

Decorative Box in olive wood, brown color, brutalist style, France circa 1950
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Box in olive wood, free-form. With a lid that turns and can be removed from the base of the box. The shape of this box is free and sinuous, which makes it very original and rare. The...
Category

1950s French Brutalist Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Wood, Olive

Snuffbox Vessel Miniature Hand-Painted Sterling Silver Enamel Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Shaped snuffbox in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fired enamel inserted in a fine hand engraving and with round miniature diameter cm. 3.3 hand painted always with fire enamels depicting a sailing ship. Early 19th century Viennese Baroque style. Fine hand engraving on all sides and bottom. Measurements cm. 7.5 x 7.5 x 2. Weight gr. 151. Designed by Franco Salimbeni in 1976 on inspiration of ancient original artifacts and manufactured in Florence at the Salimbeni company headquarters in several specimens, also with different colors and miniatures, with completely manual execution by artisan artists with thick slabs and large reinforcements suitable for supporting numerous high-fire enamelled firings at approximately 750 < 800° C. Miniature is a very ancient technique which consists of painting works in small proportions. It was born for the decoration of the first letter of the paragraph of the books. Over the years, however, this technique is refined and enriched, then moving on to precious personal items. Hand-painted miniatures can be done with multiple different techniques. The most important that we use on our articles are of three kinds: 1) Fire enamel. 2) Water tempera on an ivory plate. 3) Painted on mother-of-pearl. Fire enameled miniatures: On a first layer of enamel generally white or very clear or even transparent suitably liquefied at a temperature of about 750 ° C, the chosen subject is painted using miniature colors which are as many colored crystals, ground and reduced to a very fine, almost impalpable powder washed and purified in distilled water with the addition of small quantities of deoxidizing acids which, diluted with essential oils (usually essential oil of solder), can be mixed to form a palette of colors. With very fine sable hair brushes you draw the subject starting from the perimeter and then gradually adding various layers of color. It is necessary to carry out various firings very often so that the colors harden and are not absorbed by the underlying glaze as, during the subsequent firings at 750 ° C, during liquefaction, it would spread irremediably. Hence the need to form the painting a little at a time, cooking it numerous times. Therefore it is necessary to proceed with numerous retouching, often overlapping different colors that only the painter's experience knows. A beautiful miniature needs from 20 to over 50 firings and is finished when the painter deems he does not have to further intervene. Some colors must have darker tones than others because then, by superimposing the transparent enamel placed at the end of the miniature, they fade. This transparent layer, called “fondant” in jargon, must be smoothed and polished like all other translucent enamel colors. The miniatures with water tempera colors are painted on real ivory...
Category

1970s Italian Baroque Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver, Enamel

Pot or Box 19th Century Majolica Gremany Ceramic Beige Blue
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Tabacco box, Pot in Majolica. Characters Decor pattern. Brown and blue color. It has been made in Germany circa 19th century. Signed Western Germany.
Category

19th Century German Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Majolica, Ceramic

Fine Antique English South Staffordshire or Battersea Enamel Snuff Box
Located in Lambertville, NJ
An excellent quality late 18th or early 19th century Battersea enamel snuff or patch box. The pink enamel background with white enamel lattice and a raised gold around the hand paint...
Category

Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

Brass Tobacco Jar with Hand Painted Blue Delft Lid
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Small container for cigarettes or tobacco. Its made from Solid patinated brass and its screw-of lid is decorated with a small hand-painted porcelain pl...
Category

1950s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Brass

A Chantilly Silver Mounted Snuff Box of a Sleeping Monk, Mid 18th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The soft paste porcelain reclining monk in blue robe and striped hood, the cover scene of kakiemon tree trunk and interior cover with two butterflies. A tight closure and French disc...
Category

18th Century French Rococo Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

19th Majolica Parrot Tobacco Jar Onnaing
Located in Austin, TX
French Majolica tobacco jar with a parrot Onnaing, circa 1880.   
Category

1880s French French Provincial Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Majolica

18th Century Walnut Wooden Snuffbox
Located in Delft, NL
18th Century French walnut wooden snuffbox French walnut wooden snuffbox Beautiful detailed cut scenery, celebrating people The text will be probably "rejouissance mamand" (festiv...
Category

Late 18th Century French Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Walnut

English Porcelain Patch Box with Irish References, ""Forget Not Erin" Motto
Located in Downingtown, PA
"Forget Not Erin": A Coalport Porcelain Jewel Golden Blooms and Patriotism: An Antique London-Decorated Patch Box This spectacular antique English porcelain patch box, circa 1820, is...
Category

1820s English Regency Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Porcelain

Papier-mâché Snuffbox, Painted with a Portrait of a Bearded Man
Located in Delft, NL
Papier-Mâché snuffbox, A snuff box painted with a portrait of a bearded man with a turban, possibly after a painting by Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich...
Category

19th Century German Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Paper

Nose Box
Located in Hanover, MA
Dali-esque gilt metal snuff box bejeweled with light blue rhinestones and shaped like a surrealist human nose and lips . Magnetic closure. Yellow enameled interior. Amusing containe...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Multi-gemstone, Metal

German Silver Gilt Oval Tobacco Box, Augsburg, circa 1720
Located in New York, NY
Maker Elias Adams. Finely engraved with arabesques on cover, shoulder and body.
Category

1720s Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Antique Edwardian Cigarette Case with Enamel Fox Hunt
Located in New York, NY
Edwardian sterling silver cigarette case, ca 1910. Hinged and rectangular. On front, horizontal enamel fox hunting scene with two hounds running ahead of whip-bearing man on gallopin...
Category

Early 20th Century Edwardian Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver, Enamel

Antique Austro-Hungarian Silver and Enamel Cigarette / Card Case
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A fine antique Austro-Hungarian silver and enamel cigarette/card case; part of our continental silverware collection This fine antique Austro-Hungarian silver and enamel cigarette/card case has a rectangular form with rounded edges. The front cover is embellished with an enamel panel depicting two Japanese ladies playing traditional Japanese instruments, the koto (13 stringed zither) and the shamisen (3 stringed guitar-like instrument). The players are seated on the ground in an outdoor scene with traditional Japanese lanterns hanging from tree branches overhead. The sides of this cigarette case and posterior cover are plain and unembellished. The case is fitted with a push fit catch which when released reveals the hallmarked gilt interior of the hinged compartments. The hallmarks to the interior of this impressive case include: Silver quality/purity: Dianakopf mark (800 standard, 800/1000) Assay mark: L (Ljubljana, Slovenia) This variation of the Dianakopf mark was used from 1872-1922, determining the date of this piece as circa 1900. Condition This antique silver business card holder...
Category

20th Century Slovenian Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver, Enamel

German Papier-Mâché snuffbox, 19th century
Located in Delft, NL
German Papier-Mâché snuffbox, 19th century A German 19th Century snuff box made of Papier-Mâché with a painted scene on the lid The size is 11 cm diagonal and 2 cm high.      
Category

19th Century German Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Paper

18th Century Papier-mâché Small Snuff Box
Located in Delft, NL
18th century papier-mâché small snuff box A black lacquered papier-mâché snuff box with a silver inlaid encircled zig zag motif around a medallion with a scene of the Last Supper painted with Jesus and the 12 apostles...
Category

18th Century Dutch Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Paper

Edward Farmer New York Sterling and Dragon Carnelian Art Deco Matchbox Cover
Located in Ann Arbor, MI
Edward Farmer New York Sterling and dragon carnelian art deco matchbox cover Signed as shown. We believe the original stone to be Carnelian, but are...
Category

1920s American Art Deco Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

19th Century Chinese Cloisonné Enamel Brass Trinket Box
Located in Marbella, ES
19th century Chinese cloisonné enamel brass trinket box.
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Metal

Chinese lacquer Tobacco box with 24 carat pure gold decorations 1940s
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Chinese lacquer tobacco box with 24 carat pure gold decorations
Category

1940s Chinese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Gold Plate

Chinese Export Silver Vinaigrette by Canton Retailer Cutshing
Located in New York, NY
Chinese export silver vinaigrette. Rectangular with hinged cover. Scenes of indigenous life in low relief. Interior gilt with hinged grill; engraved presentation on cover: “E. E. W. ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

Petite Indonesian Brass Betel Box, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This petite brass box was originally part of an early 20th century betel box set from Indonesia, one of several small containers that held the individual ingredients of a betel quid....
Category

Early 20th Century Indonesian Folk Art Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Brass

Victorian Thomas Johnson II Sterling Silver Tortoise Vesta Box
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive, rare antique Victorian English sterling silver vesta box modelled in the form of a tortoise; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection. This exceptional antique Victorian cast sterling silver vesta box has been realistically modelled in the form of a tortoise. The plain oval body of this Victorian vesta box is embellished with cast and applied components replicating the details of the tortoise's legs and head. The anterior surface of this rare box features an applied oval serrated panel / match striker. The hinged tortoiseshell cover opens to reveal the original gilt interior. The underside of the body bears the contemporary engraved inscription 'July 1883'. Condition This antique Victorian vesta box is an exceptional gauge of silver, exceptional quality and in exceptional condition. There are some blemishes and wear to the original gilding, in keeping with age. Full hallmarks struck to the underside of the body are very clear. Dimensions length 8.4cm/3.3" width 5.5cm/2.2" height 3.2cm/1.3" Weight 2.4 troy ounces/73.9g (including tortoiseshell cover) Maker: Thomas Johnson II Date: 1882 Origin: London, England Video: A video of this fine piece is available upon request. Reflections in photographs may detract from the true representation of this antique vesta box...
Category

1880s British Victorian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

Taylor and Perry 1830s Antique Sterling Silver Gilt Vinaigrette
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver gilt castle top vinaigrette depicting Abbotsford House; an addition to our collectable box collection. This exceptional antique sterling silver gilt vinaigrette has a rectangular form with rounded corners. The cover of this fine vinaigrette is embellished with a scene of Abbotsford House in high relief. The sides of the box are embellished with panels of engine turned decoration. The underside of the box is ornamented with engine turned decoration incorporating a rectangular cartouche displaying the contemporary engraved initials 'EA'. Both the base and cover are embellished with applied scrolling leaf decorated borders. The hinged silver gilt vinaigrette cover allows access to the original hallmarked hinged, pierced decorated silver gilt grille, in addition to the original sponge. This Birmingham silver vinaigrette retains the original gilding to the interior and exterior surfaces. A historical country house which was the former residence of renowned novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott, situated in the Scottish...
Category

1830s English Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

Snuff Box Monocrome Miniature Hand Painted Sterling Silver Enamel Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Round snuff box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fired enamel on the enameled edge with vertical stripes and fine monochrome miniature hand painted by the painter Renato Dainelli. Diameter cm. 6.2 cm high. 3.4. Weight gr. 222. Designed by Franco Salimbeni in 1967 and produced in Florence in the Salimbeni company headquarters with manual workmanship by skilled artisan artists with thick slab and large reinforcements suitable for withstanding numerous high-fire enamelled firings at approximately 750 < 800° C. Miniature is a very ancient technique which consists of painting works in small proportions. It was born for the decoration of the first letter of the paragraph of the books. Over the years, however, this technique is refined and enriched, then moving on to precious personal items. Hand-painted miniatures can be done with multiple different techniques. The most important that we use on our articles are of three kinds: 1) Fire enamel. 2) Water tempera on an ivory plate. 3) Painted on mother-of-pearl. Fire enameled miniatures: On a first layer of enamel generally white or very clear or even transparent suitably liquefied at a temperature of about 750 ° C, the chosen subject is painted using miniature colors which are as many colored crystals, ground and reduced to a very fine, almost impalpable powder washed and purified in distilled water with the addition of small quantities of deoxidizing acids which, diluted with essential oils (usually essential oil of solder), can be mixed to form a palette of colors. With very fine sable hair brushes you draw the subject starting from the perimeter and then gradually adding various layers of color. It is necessary to carry out various firings very often so that the colors harden and are not absorbed by the underlying glaze as, during the subsequent firings at 750 ° C, during liquefaction, it would spread irremediably. Hence the need to form the painting a little at a time, cooking it numerous times. Therefore it is necessary to proceed with numerous retouching, often overlapping different colors that only the painter's experience knows. A beautiful miniature needs from 20 to over 50 firings and is finished when the painter deems he does not have to further intervene. Some colors must have darker tones than others because then, by superimposing the transparent enamel placed at the end of the miniature, they fade. This transparent layer, called “fondant” in jargon, must be smoothed and polished like all other translucent enamel colors. The miniatures with water tempera colors are painted on real ivory...
Category

1960s Italian Baroque Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver, Enamel

Early 19th Century French Carved Boxwood Snuff Box, “La Ste Famille”
Located in Atlanta, GA
A finely carved circular snuff box in boxwood, French, circa 1820, the lid delicately rendered in relief with a devotional scene inscribed “LA STE FAMILLE” (The Holy Family). The car...
Category

Early 19th Century French Restauration Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Boxwood

19th C. French Carved Boxwood Snuff Box, PRINCE EUGENE AT HIS MOTHER'S TOMB
Located in Atlanta, GA
A finely carved circular snuff box in boxwood or possibly elm (interior possibly faux tortoiseshell), French, early 19th century, the lid deeply modeled in high relief with a classic...
Category

Early 19th Century French Restauration Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Boxwood

Antique Snuff Tin, English Gilt Metal, Lidded Box, Relief Decor, Victorian, 1880
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique snuff tin. An English, gilt metal lidded box with relief decor, dating to the Victorian period, circa 1880. Fascinating decorati...
Category

Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Metal

Snuff Box "Soap" Shaped with Horse's Head Sterling Silver Enamel Salimbeni
Located in Firenze, FI
Oval rounded "soap" shaped snuff box in 925/1000 sterling silver with fired enamels above and below and hand-painted miniature of a horse's head, English "Art Nouveau" style, early 1900s. Measurements cm. 4.7 x 6.7 x 2. Weight gr. 96. Designed by Franco Salimbeni in 1980 and manufactured in Florence in the headquarters of the Salimbeni company with completely manual execution by artisan artists with thick slab and large reinforcements suitable for withstanding numerous enamelled firings at high heat at about 800° C. Miniature is a very ancient technique which consists of painting works in small proportions. It was born for the decoration of the first letter of the paragraph of the books. Over the years, however, this technique is refined and enriched, then moving on to precious personal items. Hand-painted miniatures can be done with multiple different techniques. The most important that we use on our articles are of three kinds: 1) Fire enamel. 2) Water tempera on an ivory plate. 3) Painted on mother-of-pearl. Fire enameled miniatures: On a first layer of enamel generally white or very clear or even transparent suitably liquefied at a temperature of about 750 ° C, the chosen subject is painted using miniature colors which are as many colored crystals, ground and reduced to a very fine, almost impalpable powder washed and purified in distilled water with the addition of small quantities of deoxidizing acids which, diluted with essential oils (usually essential oil of solder), can be mixed to form a palette of colors. With very fine sable hair brushes you draw the subject starting from the perimeter and then gradually adding various layers of color. It is necessary to carry out various firings very often so that the colors harden and are not absorbed by the underlying glaze as, during the subsequent firings at 750 ° C, during liquefaction, it would spread irremediably. Hence the need to form the painting a little at a time, cooking it numerous times. Therefore it is necessary to proceed with numerous retouching, often overlapping different colors that only the painter's experience knows. A beautiful miniature needs from 20 to over 50 firings and is finished when the painter deems he does not have to further intervene. Some colors must have darker tones than others because then, by superimposing the transparent enamel placed at the end of the miniature, they fade. This transparent layer, called “fondant” in jargon, must be smoothed and polished like all other translucent enamel colors. The miniatures with water tempera colors are painted on real ivory...
Category

1980s Italian Art Nouveau Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver, Enamel

Mid-Century Modern Silver Plated Accessory Box
Located in New York, NY
This handsome early Mid-Century Modern accessory box was realized in the United States circa 1940. It features a volumetric rectangular body in silver pl...
Category

1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver Plate

19th Century Austrian Majolica Tablescape Smoker Set
Located in Austin, TX
19th century fine Austrian Majolica smoking set match striker harvest theme with a willow baskets, fruits and pitcher.
Category

1880s Austrian Rustic Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Ceramic

Art Déco wood cigarette box, Italy 1940
Located in Firenze, IT
Art Déco cigarette box Italy 1940 Wood H 7 cm - 21 × 26 cm Conditions: excellent consistent with age and use.
Category

1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Wood

1800s Snuff Box of Ram's Horn and Wood
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
c.1800s snuff box, ram's horn with wood inset bottom. Base edge faults in the horn-top edge also. With a tag: "You God Father Eckhadt (?) snuff box" and description. 2 3/8" x 1 3/8 x...
Category

19th Century English Arts and Crafts Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Wood

Swedish Gilt Silver Snuff Box with Floral Motifs
Located in New York, NY
Swedish gilt 0.830 continental silver snuff box, beautifully engraved with floral and other natural motifs. It measures 3'' in depth by 1 3/4'' in width by 2/3'' in height, weighs 2....
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Silver

18-C English Bilston Battersea Enamel Memento Mori, Memory of a Friend Snuff Box
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An 18th century Georgian English Bilston Battersea enameled snuff or patch box, the motto reads, “In Memory of a Friend.” An example of Memento Mori, which translates from the Latin,...
Category

Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Copper

French Empire Boxwood Tabatière with Erotic Enamel Plaque and Gilded Bronze Acce
Located in Kastrup, DK
A French Empire tabatière, exquisitely crafted from boxwood. The lid is adorned with an erotic enamel plaque, elegantly framed by a gilded bronze band, while the underside features a...
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

Pressed Wood Snuff Box of Place Vendome, French, Early 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The circular box depicting Place Vendome with quote on bottom 'COLON DE LA PLACE VENDOME.' The interior with collectors label 'EVAN THOMAS COLLECTION 408.’
Category

Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Wood

Vintage Parchment Pillbox
Located in Milano, IT
Beautiful parchment pill box designed in the 1950s of fine Italian manufacture. The pill box is small with a rectangular shape, made entirely of light green parchment on the outside...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Brass

Vintage Parchment Pillbox
Vintage Parchment Pillbox
£285 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century Squared Spinach Jade Snuff Bottle with Unique Design
Located in Lomita, CA
This spinach jade snuff bottle has a geometric appearance with its squared silhouette and ledge that is ergonomically designed to accommodate a finger or a thumb while using the bott...
Category

Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Jade

Victorian Sterling Silver and Enamel Vesta Case
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver and enamel vesta case; an addition to our range of collectab...
Category

1890s British Victorian Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver, Enamel

KPM Shell and Flower Motif Cabinet or Patch Box
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
KPM shell and flower motif cabinet or patch box, The top realistically modelled as a clam shell, the interior revealing painted florals, and the blue undergl...
Category

Late 19th Century German Antique Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Snuffboxes for Sale on 1stDibs

Today antique snuffboxes and tobacco boxes — as well as a lot of other vintage tobacco accessories — are collectibles and charming pieces of decor for any display case or to elevate your bookshelves.

Snuff, made of ground tobacco, was especially popular with Europeans in the 1600s. The ornate boxes to keep the powder dry became highly decorative by the 18th century. It was considered a must-have item, particularly for nobility.

The most important feature of a snuffbox was that it was airtight. The box protected the snuff from oxygen. Another crucial component was the flat lid.

Snuffboxes could be small enough to fit into a pocket or a larger container for communal use at the table. They also came in different shapes. Porcelain containers were prevalent and often designed to look like trunks. Others were oval or square. Boxes made with cowrie shells were rare and more expensive.

Snuffboxes were usually crafted from silver, gold, horn or tortoiseshell. Some of the most prestigious snuffboxes were French tabatières made of gold and sometimes glass. They could be adorned with amethysts, sapphires and diamonds and enameled, engraved or chased.

Sheffield, England, was known for its silver snuffboxes in the late 18th century as its silver-plating technologies perfected these containers. By the early 19th century, the silver industry in Birmingham, England, was producing elegant snuffboxes with images of abbeys and castles on the sides and top.

Another type of tobacco box was the snuff mull or mill. It was made out of horn or an entire ram’s head and topped with a metal lid, frequently featuring engravings and decorative hinges. These were fashionable in Scotland during the 19th century. The origin of its name is unclear.

On 1stDibs, find a plentiful range of antique snuffboxes and tobacco boxes to complement any home decor or furniture style. You can browse the collection by style, which includes Victorian, Georgian and Art Deco, or by material to find pieces in silver and gold.

Still Thinking About These?

All Recently Viewed