modeled as a neatly folded letter fastened with a red wax seal, inscribed in script on the cover A Madame / Madame Reinholdt / à St Petersbourg, the interior with a rhyming French aphorism, apparently unmarked

overall very good condition; some small wear to the inscription and a very small hairline crack at upper left; the interior with a similar hairline crack to the interior of the lid; one small area of repainting to hinge at left
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This charming box was most likely meant to offer a less expensive and fragile alternative to the letter form snuffboxes made at St. Petersburg’s Imperial Porcelain Manufactory between 1750 and 1760. Snuffboxes were such an important part of the manufactory’s earliest production that Sergei Troinitskii, who worked as a curator and later director of the Hermitage, characterized the factory’s earliest production as the “snuffbox period.” The snuffboxes were made in numerous shapes, but those formed as folded letters were undoubtedly the most popular. English enamellers produced a number of étuis and cases with patriotic images and inscriptions for the Russian market during the reign of Empress Elizabeth and the letter form boxes were easily adjusted for the Russian buyer. On the porcelain manufactory’s folded letter snuff boxes, see S.N. Troinitskii, Farforovyia tabakerki Imperatorskago Ermitazha, Petrograd, 1915 and Shedevry russkogo  farfora XVIII veka iz sobraniia galerei "Popov i Ko.," Moscow, 2009, pp. 26-31. For other examples of English enamels for the Russian market, see the Birmingham étui with a portrait of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, Sotheby's London, 27 November 2012, lot 578 and Sotheby's New York, 8 April 2014, lot 127.