A VERY RARE PORCELAIN PACKET SNUFF BOX

The so called ‘packet’ or ‘package’ snuff boxes resemble a folded letter with a simulated wax seal. The cover is typically inscribed with a memorable phrase or message to the recipient, and sometimes even an address. Although these snuff boxes were widely produced in the early years of the Imperial Porcelain Factory during the reign of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, relatively few survive. Today these pieces rarely appear on the market. For comparable packet snuff boxes, see S. Kaznakov, Paket Snuffboxes, St Petersburg, 1913.