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This snuffbox, with its gold mount dating back to 1770–1771, is the fruit of the collaboration of two artists, the famous miniaturist Louis-Nicolas van Blarenberghe and Louis Roucel, goldsmith to the king. It is one of the most famous French objets d’art of the 18th century. It owes its renown to the miniatures that adorn it, representing, with extreme precision, the Duc de Choiseul in various scenes from his daily life as minister.

Having first served as French ambassador to the Holy See, then to Vienna, the Duc de Choiseul (1719–1785) took on high government offices – he was Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, War, and the Navy, before falling into disgrace in December 1770. Exiled to his Château de Chanteloup, in central France, he was only allowed to leave after the death of King Louis XV, in 1774. The snuffbox was thus made at a key time in Choiseul’s life.

Made of coloured golds and crystal plaques, this piece is 8 centimetres long, 6 centimetres wide and 2.4 centimetres high. Its six faces bear gouache miniatures of extraordinarily fine make. Four of the main views represent different rooms in the Hôtel Choiseul on Rue de Richelieu: the Blue Room, the Gallery of Paintings, the White Room and the Octagonal Cabinet. The last two show views of the minister’s study in Versailles and of the Louvre’s Grande Galerie, which then held a collection of plan-relief maps of French fortifications.

The superb quality of the miniatures allows the Duc’s remarkable personality to shine through, as he moves through his collection of paintings and objets d’art. Over the course of a century, the exceptional precision of these representations has allowed for the identification of a majority of the artworks depicted on the snuffbox.

Thus we can distinguish two paintings by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805) in the representation of the Blue Room on the lid: the Votive Offering to Cupid and Blowing a Kiss, held by the Wallace Collection in London. The lid also features Jean-Jacques Caffieri’s marble Innocence. The view of the minister’s study also presents one of the century’s most famous pieces of furniture: the extraordinary writing-desk that passed from Choiseul to French diplomat Talleyrand and on to the Austrian chancellor Metternich. 
 

In 2023, the Choiseul Snuffbox joined the Musée du Louvre’s collection thanks to the involvement of more than 5,000 donors.

We extend our warmest thanks to all the donors who helped raise the €1,200,000 necessary for the acquisition of the Choiseul Snuffbox.

This acquisition was made possible in part thanks to the generous support of Mr Michel Lacoste, assisted by Mr Stéphane Turysk and in tribute to Ms Michèle Bimbenet-Privat.

 The Musée du Louvre also extends its thanks to the Société des Amis du Louvre, the International Council of the Louvre and the American Friends of the Louvre, the Laboratoires Septodont and Mr Henri Schiller, Chairman of the Supervisory Board.