An early 19th century German lacquered papier-mâché  snuff box by Stobwasser

An early 19th century German lacquered papier-mâché  snuff box by Stobwasser, of circular form, the lid painted with a young Turkish lady baring her breasts, the interior with the title 'Zaide', numbered '5573' and signed 'Stobwassers Fabrik in Braunschweig', 9.9cm diameter.

This snuff box relates to the unfinished opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1780. Zaide was set in Turkey and portrays her efforts to save her beloved Gomatz. It was popular at the time for operas to depict the rescue of enslaved Westerners from Muslim courts, since Muslim pirates were preying on Mediterranean shipping, particularly to obtain slaves for various purposes.