A GERMAN GOLD-MOUNTED ENAMELLED HARDSTONE SNUFF-BOX

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 landmark was first discovered, members of the Saxon Court in Dresden harvested the petrified or agatized wood and had it transformed into precious objects such as snuff-boxes and jewellery. The celebrated Dresden goldsmith Johann-Christian Neuber (1736-1808) used the stone from Chemnitz in many of his snuff-boxes.