Snuffbox 1762 - 1763

Editor: Here we have a golden snuffbox, crafted between 1762 and 1763 by Philippe-Emanuel Garbe. The decorative details give the object a really opulent feel. What strikes you most when you look at this piece? Curator: Its creation speaks volumes about the social stratification of the time. This snuffbox, a seemingly simple object, encapsulates the Rococo style favoured by the elite, doesn't it? Think about the sheer abundance of gold, a material acquired through colonial exploitation and used to create what is ultimately a luxury item. Who do you think had access to objects like this and what statement was made by its display? Editor: So it’s more than just a pretty object, it’s tied to power structures? The opulence served a function, reflecting wealth and influence. Curator: Precisely. And beyond wealth, it speaks to a cultivated engagement with pleasure and refinement. This box existed within a culture of performance, ritualized social interactions, and leisure facilitated by the labour of others. Can we separate beauty from this context? How does the box change when we confront the politics embedded within its making? Editor: It makes you consider who gets to enjoy beauty and at what cost. Thinking about the colonial context, it challenges this perception of pure beauty… Curator: It certainly does. Recognizing that the creation of beautiful things like this often involves power imbalances helps us engage critically with our present and challenge such imbalances. So what will you consider, going forward, as you explore artifacts like this? Editor: I’ll definitely look beyond the surface appeal and ask, “Who benefitted from this, and who paid the price?” That shifts the whole narrative. Curator: Excellent. It’s by engaging in these crucial questions that we confront and reassess our relationship to the past and how it shaped our present.