Terms and conditions of use
Patch box
(c. 1770)
- Medium
- porcelain (hard-paste)
- Measurements
- 2.6 × 4.2 × 3.6 cm
- Accession Number
- 2024.479
- Department
- International Decorative Arts
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Patricia Begg OAM Bequest, 2024
© Public Domain - Gallery location
- 17th & 18th Century Decorative Arts & Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International - About this work
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Porcelain snuff boxes, like this example relief-moulded in the form of a shell, were used to store a wide range of substances in the eighteenth century, including snuff (shredded tobacco leaves), sweets, pills, rouge and patches or beauty spots. Patches were made of silk, taffeta or leather and came in a range of different shapes. They were worn as fashionable accessories to draw attention to pale skin and to cover up blemishes and scars.