The myth of Prometheus or the Victory of Humanism, snuffbox late 18th century
Round box lacquered and inlaid with gilded fillets, the lid adorned with a high-quality under-glass painting of a torchbearer passing in front of Voltaire's tomb to bring the fire to the Peoples of the Nations, illustrating the myth of Prometheus and by extension, in the context of the Lumières, the victory of Progress and the Humanist over Authoritarianism.
Tortoiseshell interior
Condition: minor damage to lacquer and fillets; underglaze painting damaged in places