Box
Category
Objets de vertu
Date
1700 - 1800
Materials
Gold, Tortoiseshell
Measurements
80 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
France
Order this imageCollection
Dunham Massey, Cheshire
NT 935094
Caption
This exquisite little French gold box records a thrilling moment in the history of early flight: a balloon ascent at Versailles in 1784 where Marie Antoinette and the King of Sweden were spectators. The Montgolfier brothers, prosperous paper manufacturers, had been the first to demonstrate their invention of a hot-air balloon the previous year. Look closely and you can make out an excited little dog, rows of cavalry keeping back the crowd and finely dressed courtiers waving enthusiastically as the balloon ascends. The production of fine gold boxes was a highly-skilled craft in France during this period. This example is painted in the manner of a family of artists named Van Blarenberghe, who were working as miniaturists for the French court at the Palace of Versailles where they probably witnessed this flight. Ballooning rapidly took-off, in both senses and on either side of the channel, triggering an industry in all manner of objects ‘au ballon.‘ In fashion, it fueled exaggerated styles in dress, including puffed sleeves and rounded skirts 'au globe volant'. Women even had their hair coiffed 'à la Montgolfier'. This towering hairstyle was styled in the shape of an inverted pyramid, looking very much like a hot air balloon. In Britain, the passion for ballooning was popularised by the flamboyant and handsome Italian, Vincenzo Lunardi who worked for the Neapolitan Ambassador to London. He made several flights across the country in front of large crowds – the Prince of Wales was among 200,000 people who watched his ascent from the Artillery Ground in London in September 1784. Not everyone was a fan of the craze. Horace Walpole was a famous dissenter, coining the phrase ‘Balloonomania’ to refer disparagingly to what he regarded as a populist frenzy gripping the country.
Summary
A French circular gold mounted vernis Martin box, the cover with gouache miniature of a balloon ascent in the manner of Van Blarenberghe, tortoiseshell lining with note stating that the ascent took place before Marie Antoinette and the King of Sweden in 1784, 18th century.