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Lot 1145

A French 18K yellow gold snuff box
by Alexandre-Raoul Morel, Paris, with incuse stamp 285, circa 1838-1842

26 October 2015, 10:00 EDT
New York

Sold for US$6,875 inc. premium

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A French 18K yellow gold snuff box

by Alexandre-Raoul Morel, Paris, with incuse stamp 285, circa 1838-1842
The waved rectangular lid engraved with foliate C-scrolls and floral sprays on an engine-turned ground, centered by a cartouche inscribed "John Shook / 1842", over a conforming case, weight approximately 81gms
height 5/8in (1.75cm); width 3 1/4in (8.25cm); depth 2 1/8in (5.5cm)
.

Footnotes

Born in 1817, John Shook was an early navigator of Lake Erie. During his career as a seaman, Shook owned and captained of a number of ships in the Great Lakes region. One of his more renowned vessels was the Vermillion, named after the town in which it was constructed, in 1838.

Captain Shook's best remembered voyage occurred on the side-wheel steamer Columbus in October 1841, when his most notable passenger was Francois d'Orleans, Prince de Joinville, the third son of King Louis Philippe of France. Prince de Joinville recounted this dangerous autumn journey from Buffalo to Green Bay in his Vieux Souvenirs: 1818-1848, Paris, 1894, describing how a fellow passenger, Eleazer Williams, was introduced to him by Captain Shook. Williams purported to be the sole surviving son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. He described being rescued after his parents' executions and spirited to America to live at the home of Thomas Williams.

It has been suggested that the box offered here was a gift to Captain Shook from the Prince de Joinville for helping him find the 'Lost Dauphin', though there is no presentation inscription or royal insignia on the box. Clearly though, the meeting made a lasting impression as Captain Shook named his son, born in 1845, Frank de Joinville Shook.

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