An early Russian black lacquer snuff box with aportrait miniature of Emperor Alexander I, circa 1815. The slip-on lid with a bust-length portrait of the emperor in uniform based on the original by Stepan Shchukin (1758-1828), the tsar depicted wearing the sash of the Order of St Andrew First Called, the Order of St George IV Class, & a star, most likely the Star of the Prussian Order of the Black Eagle, a cloudy sky visible in the background, the miniature within a gilt border, the interior of the lid with the mark ‘St’ in red. Diameter: 3 3/4″ (9.5 cm).