Snuff box with religious attributes

Dimensions
Lenght
3.94 in
Details

Snuffbox in corozo nut decorated with mitre, censer, ciborium, chalice, crucifix... Middle 19th century. Very nice patina. Slight cracks on the back sides of the box and two micro holes on the right side of the angel decoration. Pontoon work ?

It was in the 16th century, at the court of Catherine de Medici, that people started to take snuff for medical reasons, to cure colds, asthma and circulatory disorders... Then this habit became a pleasure. At the beginning for people in good condition, then the practice was democratized. Breathing in a scented powder that could mask the very unpleasant odours of the streets at that time made the fashion spread throughout the kingdom and then to Europe. Herbs or fine oils were added to snuff to refine its taste. Women were just as enthusiastic about snuff as men. It was fashionable to change snuff boxes every day. The snuffbox became a fashion accessory and an important status symbol. At the end of the 19th century, snuff was gradually replaced by cigars, cigarettes and rolling tobacco.