Snuffbox in the form of an armadillo
Saint-Cloud factory French
In the first half of the eighteenth century, Saint-Cloud produced a wide range of bagatelles, or trifles, in the form of soft-paste porcelain snuffboxes, pommels, cutlery, and cane handles. They were often decorated with exotic figures and landscapes inspired by Asian motifs. This unusual snuffbox depicts an armadillo. A mammal native to South America, armadillos featured in allegorical representations of America as early as the sixteenth century, (seen for example Adrien Collaert’s depiction of America riding a giant armadillo 59.654.10). More than the anatomical accuracy of a naturalist, this smiling creature reflects the imagination of the porcelain modeler and the consumer’s fascination for the exotic.
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