A GERMAN GOLD-MOUNTED HARDSTONE BONBONNIÈRE

Chemnitz is a city located near the border of Germany and the Czech Republic, and one of the city's most important landmarks is the Petrified Forest. From 1737, when this ancient forest was first discovered, members of the Saxon Court in Dresden harvested the petrified wood and had it transformed into precious objects such as snuff-boxes and jewellery. Two very similar boxes to the present example are illustrated C. Le Corbeiller, European and American Snuff Boxes 1730-1830, London, 1966, nos. 460 and 462.