Petrified wood (?) snuffbox, circa 1740

[agman]

I own this silver-mounted snuffbox, made in England circa 1740. Is the lid made of petrified wood, or simply regular agate?

 

The metal portions are silver, with the interior fire-gilt (a highly toxic process that involved mercury vapors!). Thanks in advance for your expert help.

[grandpa]

Not petrified wood but rather a great example of picture jasper, most likely deschutes picture jasper.

[agman]

Thank you very much! Does "Deschutes" refer only to the jasper that comes from central Oregon? If so, then it probably isn't, since in 1740, the Pacific Northwest was still unexplored territory. The hardstone used in 18th-century British decorative arts was usually sourced from the German Rhineland — is that possible with this jasper?

[grandpa]

Yes, to specifically be deschutes picture jasper it should come from that area.  However, there are picture jaspers with this same or similar pattern from other areas of the world as well. 

BTW, that's a very nice item.

[rocket]

really a nice one, never seen with picture jasper! Does it have marks to identify where it was made?

Thanks for showing

[agman]

Thanks to both of you for the compliments. My snuffbox was made in London, but there's no date letter, just the maker's initials "I.W." Unfortunately the London silversmiths' guild registers from that time for "smallworkers" (the people who made things like buckles and boxes) are lost, so the specific makers are hard to identify. But based on fully marked examples with the same form, it would definitely date to 1730s-50s.