A Staffordshire enamel snuff box c.1780

A Staffordshire enamel snuff box c.1780, the rectangular form painted with a portrait of a lady raising a shell to her hair, possibly the actress Lavinia Fenton, the sides painted with flower sprays reserved on a white ground with gilt trelliswork, 6.8cm.

The portrait bears a marked resemblance to that of Lavinia Fenton, later Duchess of Bolton, attributed to George Knapton. She was most famous for her role as Polly Peachum in The Beggar's Opera.