Geneva, Nov 09, 2025

LOT 559

UNSIGNED, SWITZERLAND, BUTTERFLY, ENAMEL ATTRIBUTABLE TO JEAN-LOUIS RICHTER, GOLD AND ENAMEL

CHF 6,000 - 10,000

HKD 59,000 - 98,000 / USD 7,500 - 12,500 / EUR 6,500 - 10,800 / JPY 1,140,000 - 1,900,000

Sold: CHF 8,750

A very fine and charming, snuff-box; yellow gold and enamel horizontal shaped snuff-box with hinged lid; cover, base and band decorated with neoclassical frieze; in the centre of the cover, a horizontal panel polychrome painted on enamel depicting a charming pastoral scene with three young figures in 18th-century attire. Two girls, dressed in flowing white gowns with sashes, stand in the foreground. One gestures eagerly with her arm extended, pointing toward a butterfly that has alighted on a stone urn decorated with drapery. Her companion looks on with a mixture of curiosity and surprise. Behind them, a boy in a red coat and wide-brimmed hat raises his arm, seemingly excited or playfully joining their discovery. The background is filled with soft greenery and a bright blue sky, giving the scene a lively and idyllic atmosphere. The ornate gold and enamel border frames the miniature with geometric patterns, delicate floral motifs, and fine gilding, emphasizing the refined and decorative character of the piece.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2-8-24

Very good

Slightly scratched

Slightly chipped

Brand Unsigned, Switzerland

Model butterfly

Year Circa 1800

Length 72,5

Height 14

Width 46,5

Weight 85 gr.

Notes

Richter, Jean-Louis (1766-1841), Geneva Learned his art under David-Etienne Roux and Philippe-Samuel-Théodore Roux, becoming a most renowned enamel painter. His speciality was the painting of landscapes and particularly lake-side scenes and marine-scapes, often representing ships in a harbour or battles with fighting Men-of-War, but, on occasion, also portraits and hunting scenes. He did not often sign his work, but it is clearly recognised as being in his hand from the style and quality of the painting. He applied his art principally to watch cases and snuff-boxes and these were largely destined for the Chinese, Turkish, British and Italian markets. In 1828, he was in partnership with Aimé- Julien Troll (1781-1852) and one can find work signed Richter et Troll. Richter, like other great enamel painters of the time, often found inspiration for his work from paintings or engravings by the artists then in fashion particularly Claude Verne or the romanticised English and Irish rural life.