Life and career
Chazeray is documented as an eighteenth-century Paris goldsmith rather than through a full surviving personal biography. An archived catalogue records apprenticeship in 1754, registration of his mark in 1760 and later work on the quai des Orfèvres. Birth and death dates remain unverified here; maker’s marks are central evidence, not decorative signatures.
Works across a career
Two securely attributed examples and one explicitly uncertain comparison. The third box may be by François Cousin; it is not presented as a secure third Chazeray work.
- 01
1777–78
1777–78
Snuff Box (Tabatière)
- Material / technique
- gold and enamel
- Attribution / role
- Museum attribution
- Collection / source
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
Museum catalogue note
This box is decorated with figures of antiquity associated with love: winged cupids, dancing nymphs, and representations of the Greek goddess of love. These scenes are inspired by antique cameos, intricately carved gemstones crafted in ancient Greece and Rome. This interest in ancient iconography, symmetry, and classical compositions of gods and goddesses was characteristic of 18th-century neoclassicism.
Collection text · The Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 - 02
1784–1789
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Reference entry · image not reproduced1784–1789
Gold-lined Japanese-style Lacquer Bonbonnière
- Material / technique
- Lacquer with gold lining
- Attribution / role
- Uncertain: maker’s mark FC, François Chazeray OR François Cousin; not a securely attributed Chazeray work.
- Collection / source
- Christie’s archived catalogue
- 03
1787–1788
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Reference entry · image not reproduced1787–1788
Vari-colour Gold Bonbonnière
- Material / technique
- Gold
- Attribution / role
- Marked François Chazeray; auction catalogue attribution
- Collection / source
- Christie’s archived catalogue
Materials, marks and colour
Media and surface
Gold, enamel and attributed lacquer examples belong to specialised luxury-box manufacture.
Marks and structure
Small-scale borders, repeated motifs and maker’s marks organise surface and attribution evidence.
Palette and light
Enamel imagery and multicolour gold achieve different colour effects; the lacquer example has uncertain authorship.
Sources and further reading
Original educational interpretation; catalogue descriptions are separately credited. Each study links to its source. Reference entries without images are not added to the comparison timeline.