The golden strips forming the spider web can be felt when handling the box. Delicate golden flies are caught in the net, but the spider is nowhere to be seen.
The box was made in Paris in the mid-18th century. It is possibly the only eighteenth-century snuffbox depicting a spider web. The image might go back to the myth of Arachne, a fabled weaver: she challenged the Greek goddess of handicraft Athena to a weaving contest. The mortal girl won with a work depicting the Infidelities of the Gods – presumably including those of Athena’s father, the god Zeus. According to Ovid’s Metamorphoses the goddess turned Arachne into a spider, leaving her and her descendants condemned to weave forever. When the box was made the spider web had become a symbol of the virtue of industriousness and the craft of weaving. This snuffbox has been part of the [V&A’s collection](https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-life/a-gold-spider-web?srsltid=AfmBOooCxOmwQ7rWeJcilDzJuoOj-X4oq_XzrcmwHoaOHIicekNF1h-0) of gold boxes since 1917.
AdamantEevee on
Wow, it’s stunning. Looks so fragile though
Echo-Azure on
It’s so beautiful! I want it!
What can one do with it, other than store snuff, and protect it from the kitten?
keepyourfeelings on
Beautiful craftsmanship…love the mother of pear (?) giving the piece a mystical look.
SurLesQuais on
That’s some RPG Spider Queen Boss loot box right there.
6 Comments
The golden strips forming the spider web can be felt when handling the box. Delicate golden flies are caught in the net, but the spider is nowhere to be seen.
The box was made in Paris in the mid-18th century. It is possibly the only eighteenth-century snuffbox depicting a spider web. The image might go back to the myth of Arachne, a fabled weaver: she challenged the Greek goddess of handicraft Athena to a weaving contest. The mortal girl won with a work depicting the Infidelities of the Gods – presumably including those of Athena’s father, the god Zeus. According to Ovid’s Metamorphoses the goddess turned Arachne into a spider, leaving her and her descendants condemned to weave forever. When the box was made the spider web had become a symbol of the virtue of industriousness and the craft of weaving. This snuffbox has been part of the [V&A’s collection](https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-life/a-gold-spider-web?srsltid=AfmBOooCxOmwQ7rWeJcilDzJuoOj-X4oq_XzrcmwHoaOHIicekNF1h-0) of gold boxes since 1917.
Wow, it’s stunning. Looks so fragile though
It’s so beautiful! I want it!
What can one do with it, other than store snuff, and protect it from the kitten?
Beautiful craftsmanship…love the mother of pear (?) giving the piece a mystical look.
That’s some RPG Spider Queen Boss loot box right there.
love the colors! ～｡☆*✧。