A Birmingham or South Staffordshire enamel gilt-metal mounted snuff box or bonbonnière

A Birmingham or South Staffordshire enamel gilt-metal mounted snuff box or bonbonnière,

c.1760, modelled as a recumbent lion, resting his chin on his forepaws and wearing a frown beneath his long mane, the base with a partial hinged lid, the larger section decorated with an equestrian hunter chasing a leopard with a spear, the smaller with a leopard standing and facing the viewer, 11cm.

Provenance:

The Mort and Moira Lesser Collection.

A similar hunting scene to that on the lid of this box, probably after Antonio Tempesta, is illustrated by Bernard Watney and R J Charleston, 'Petitions for Patents', ECC Transactions, Vol 6, Pt 2, pl 70 (a) and (b).