Box
This box is a pocket geological museum of the rich mineral resources of Saxony. The maker was Johann Christian Neuber (1736-1808).
In 1786 it was reported that Neuber offered ‘snuff boxes which are composed of gold and all kinds of precious stones from Saxony’. They were known under the name of ‘Cabinet-Dosen’, meaning boxes for connoisseurs and scholars. ‘The stones’, it said, ‘are all numbered and a small list contains their correct names.’
Box
Dresden, about 1775
Made by Johann Christian Neuber
67 varieties of hardstone mounted in gold, with simulated pearls
George Mitchell Bequest
V&A: 192-1878
This small booklet was kept inside the box. It contains a list of each of the 67 hardstones featured on the box and their places of origin. Neuber sourced all hardstones for this box in Saxony. The list is written in French to cater for his international clientele. Neuber sold boxes in Dresden and through the fairs at Leipzig.