Johann Christian Neuber (1736-1808) was born in Neuvernsdorf in the Ore Mountains and moved to Dresden. Neuber became a craftsman and joined the Dresden goldsmiths’ guild. Talent and marriage to the daughter of the famous jeweler Heinrich Taddel (1714–1794), director of the famous treasury of the Saxon electors – Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vaults), helped Neuber to take a high position in the professional environment.
Jeweled Steinkabinet bonbonniere set in gold inlaid with semi precious stones 101 numbered samples diameter 6.5 cm, Johann Christian Neuber, circa 1780 1785.
Having received the title of court jeweler to the court of Frederick Augustus III, Neuber subsequently succeeded Taddel as director of Grünes Gewölbe. One of the most famous art collections, Grünes Gewölbe, was founded by Augustus the Strong, the ruler of Saxony, in 1723. Being her curator meant great trust and recognition of Neuber’s high jewelry skill. Neuber’s works – snuffboxes, precious souvenirs, in the decor of which almost always inlaid with colored stones were used, often served as diplomatic gifts.
Case for note book Souvenir framed in gold inlaid with oval plates of dendritic agates against a background of carnelian height 9.2 cm, Johann Christian Neuber, circa 1765.
His most famous work, the Teschen table, is kept in the Louvre. The table was presented by Frederick August III, Elector of Saxony, to Baron de Breteuil in 1780 for his contribution to the Teschen peace process.
Case for note book Souvenir framed in gold encrusted with diamonds and semi precious stones height 9 cm, Johann Christian Neuber, circa 1775 1780 from the collection of the Louvre Paris.
Neuber created not only caskets and snuff boxes, but also other luxury items inlaid with colored stones: cane handles, covers for ballroom books, cases for small things, known at that time as a “souvenir”, jewelry watches, buttons. A lapidary and amateur scientist, Neuber was fond of studying minerals and even rented several quarries in Saxony. For many of his precious caskets, Neuber used a variety of locally mined stones.
The snuffbox contains two booklets in German and French.Steinkabinet snuff box in gold frame inlaid with cabochons of agate jasper carnelian onyx amethyst 8×5.8×3.9 cm Johann Christian Neuber circa 1763 1770 from the collection of the Louvre Paris.Gold box with a portrait of Marie Antoinette 1755 1793 on ivory inlaid with semi precious stones Johann Christian Neuber circa 1780 from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum London.Golden box inlaid with banded jasper bloodstone carnelian and white opaque glass 7.3 cm diameter Johann Christian Neuber circa 1780 from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum London.Steinkabinet gold box with enamel and imitation pearls inlaid with 67 hard stones, 6.8 x 5.1 x 2.2 cm, Johann Christian Neuber, circa 1775 from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum London.Gold box decorated with enamel and agate cameo inlaid with semi precious stones amethyst garnet agate bloodstone jasper 1775 from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum London.Gold casket decorated with a carnelian cameo depicting two puttos 8.9 x 6.7 x 4 cm Johann Christian Neuber Dresden circa 1785 1790 from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum London.Steinkabinet gold box 7.3 cm diameter by Johann Christian Neuber circa 1785 1790 from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum London.Allegorical composition in Meissen porcelain from the Teschen World service by Nikolai Repnin master fashion designer Michel Victor Asier height 39.8 cm from the Dresden State Art Collection.The oval top is decorated with Saxon porcelain medallions with allegories of the world.Teschen table in gilded bronze inlaid with semi precious and semi precious stones height 81.5 cm Johann Christian Neuber Dresden 1775 1800 from the collection of the Louvre Paris.Steinkabinet gold bonbonniere depicting a love altar in a frame of imitation pearls diameter 6 cm Johann Christian Neuber Dresden circa 1785.Chatelain in gold, inlaid with semi-precious stones, adorned with love symbols, length 20 cm, Johann Christian Neuber, circa 1770, Jean-Antoine Lépine clock, from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.Notebook decorated with portrait miniatures of Marie Antoinette and Louis XV on ivory, inlaid with agate, 11.7 x 8.5 x 1.4 cm, Johann Christian Neuber, 1775-1800, from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.Steinkabinet gold casket with pearls, inlaid with 64 hardstone specimens including various dendritic agates, carnelian, chalcedony, jasper, amethyst and quartz, 6 cm diameter, Johann Christian Neuber, circa 1785.Porcelain pedestal in gilded bronze with carnelian and amethyst cabochons, inlaid with amethyst, agate and marble, 49 cm diameter, Johann Christian Neuber, from the collection of the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.The table is inlaid with 128 samples of beautifully polished stones, which represent an atlas of the geological riches of Saxony. 1780. A booklet kept in a table top drawer contains information about each of the stones.Steinkabinet snuffbox with medallion from the Venuss Toilet shell framed in gold inlaid with semi precious stones agate chalcedony quartz length 8.3 cm Johann Christian Neuber circa 1785.Miniature snuff box in gold set with diamonds and an oval panel in beige glass with a bouquet of carved flowers in hard stone and glass length 6.9 cm Johann Christian Neuber circa 1775.Bloodstone snuff box with apricot agate inlays in gold frame length 8.1 cm Johann Christian Neuber circa 1780.Gold box decorated with landscapes using the Zellenmosaik technique diameter 8 cm Johann Christian Neuber circa 1770 1775.The inscription SOUVENIR on the lid is laid out against a background of lapis lazuli, the inside contains a notepad and pencil with a gold top, the base of the case slides out to open up space for a miniature portrait.
