Beethoven's Snuffbox

[Megan]

Beethoven played several times at the court of King Frederick William II , where he played the two grand sonatas with obbligato violoncello, Op. 5, written for Duport, first violoncellist of the King, and himself. On his departure he received a gold snuff-box filled with Louis d'ors. Beethoven declared with pride that it was not an ordinary snuff-box, but such a one as it might have been customary to give to an ambassador (Thayer: 184-185)


I am wondering how many gold coins can fit in a snuffbox - perhaps they varied in size, but I would have thought they were all fairly pocket sized.






Here is a beautiful illustration of a Snuffbox from the collection of Frederick the Great of Prussia.

[Peter]

Yes Megan, and what became of it? There's no mention of it in the inventory of Beethoven's possessions after his death.

[Fidelio]

On my way to the attic to seek out the said item!!

[Megan]

Yes Megan, and what became of it? There's no mention of it in the inventory of Beethoven's possessions after his death.

Do we know who drew up the inventory, would it have been his brother Johann?

I did wonder whether Beethoven's House Bonn might have the snuffbox, but there again , I am a bit unsure what museums around the world have got what bits of Beethoven memorabilia.
I seem to recall seeing the original manuscript version of the 9th symphony - a gift from Beethoven? in the British Museum. It may have been on loan.

[Megan]

I have just come across this interesting article.

In 1957, a snuffbox was given to Domenico Dragonetti by Beethoven which he, in turn, gave to Dr. John Mather at the Edinburgh Festival in 1815.


http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4...age&q=&f=false


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[Joy]

How interesting. Here's a little more information I found on the subject.

"He composed two cello sonatas (Op. 5) dedicated to King Friedrich Wilhelm II, a lover of music who played that instrument. These works are notable for successfully combining virtuoso cello and piano parts, a difficult task considering the differing natures of the two instruments. The king presented Beethoven with a snuffbox full of gold coins; Beethoven observed that the trip earned him "a good deal of money". I believe this was around 1789?

I find it interesting that the King presented it to him filled with gold coins, was this a popular thing to do? Some are quite beautiful. It looks like I might have to be on the lookout for a snuffbox to add to my antique collection.

[Fidelio]

Do we know who drew up the inventory, would it have been his brother Johann?

I did wonder whether Beethoven's House Bonn might have the snuffbox, but there again , I am a bit unsure what museums around the world have got what bits of Beethoven memorabilia.
I seem to recall seeing the original manuscript version of the 9th symphony - a gift from Beethoven? in the British Museum. It may have been on loan.

Soon after Beethoven's death, his brother, Schindler, Holz and Breuning searched his lodgings for seven remaining bank shares, here they found the concealed drawer of an old cabinet.

Schindler removed many items, including four bundles of conversation books, many manuscripts and letters, Beethoven's eyeglasses and ear trumpets, statuettes, clock (which princess Lichnowsky had given him) and the Immortal Beloved letter. Beethoven's remaining manuscipts were taken by Johanna's former advocate Jacob Hotschevar for appraisal. He become Karl's guardian after Stephen von Breuning died. Among these papers was the Heiligenstadt Testament. An inventory and evaluation of Beethovens estate was made on 16 August 1827. Beethoven's belongings were auctioned on 5 November 1827 and bought 1,140 florins.

A full list of Beethoven's estate is available in an appendix in Thayer.

Barry Cooper's 'Beethoven's Compendium' contains a list of memorabila and its whereabouts.

[JulietteKlonk]

Your article is really great and I truly enjoyed reading it.
I love Beethoven music.