Objects of Vertu

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	A selection of fine 19th century objects of vertu

Objects of vertu (also known as objets de vitrine and bibelots) is a loosely defined category of antiques that includes carefully worked luxury items in gold, silver, tortoiseshell, ivory, enamel, lacquer, and the like.  Sallea Antiques features a wide variety of these pieces including snuff boxes, etuis, necessaires, patch boxes, wine labels, vinaigrettes, scent bottles and much, much more.  Read on for more detailed descriptions of some of these pieces.

Snuff Boxes

Snuff—powdered tobacco for inhaling—was introduced to Europe in the 16th century and its use peaked in the 18th century.  Before commercially produced snuff was available (by the mid-18th century) early users would have carried their own snuff rasp, a metal grater that often had a decorative, carved cover of wood, silver or ivory.  Some rasps included a container for the snuff as well.  Snuff boxes were crafted of all sorts of materials from the common to the exquisite, including many woods, brass, copper, tortoiseshell, ivory, and enamel.  Though snuff’s popularity declined steeply after about 1830, snuff boxes continued to be made into the mid-19th century.

A uniquely Scottish creation was the snuff mull, a snuff box made most often from horn (but also ivory, antler, deer’s hoof and more) and with silver or pewter mounts sometimes set with a semi-precious stone (such as a cairngorm).  Snuff mulls were made from the late 18th century into the mid 19th.

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