Late 17th century Dutch engraved brass tobacco box.
This oval box is bordered by molded edges with engraved leaf scrolls displaying six cartouches. On the hinged lid, is a central image of Adam and Eve's Temptation. To the right, St Helena with the True Cross and a seated woman with a parrot to the left. Wealthy Dutch citizens often kept exotic parrots as pets, as seen in period genre paintings, symbolizing the Virgin Mary, virtue, eloquence and an eagerness to learn. On the bottom, the Expulsion from Eden is flanked by the Dutch Republic Lion and a seated female saint(poss. St. Scholastica).

Tobacco was the most lucrative crop in America in the 16th century and increasing trade with Dutch merchants fueled the cultivation of tobacco and the popularity of smoking throughout Europe. This created a need for portable cases of inexpensive materials like brass and copper. Often using readily available prints as a reference, such pieces were decorated with flatly chased fluid images of religious stories, genre scenes and historical events, places or figures. While little is known of the makers and owners of these boxes, the wide array of images and inscriptions reveal insight into political and societal interests and the moral attitudes of the times.

13 x 7 x 3.5 cm

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