Tobacco box
The box is oblong with rounded ends. The illustration on the lid is framed by parts of brick walls and leaf scrolls. Two women and a man seated beneath trees are watching a large bird. Inscribed below: Ik soen mijn soete lief op her lant (I kiss my sweetheart in the country).
The underside shows a scene, similarly framed, of a couple walking along the waterside. A bird is depicted in the foreground and sailing vessels in the background. Inscribed below: En ik soen se aen een klaere waterkant (And I kiss her at the clear waterside).
Rims are lined and edges molded. The ends and back have geometrical ornament. The front side is inscribed: Verlaat de weerelt (Leave the world). This phrase is said to be frequently found on tobacco boxes: see Van der Linden, "Les boîtes en cuivres," p. 203.
The underside shows a scene, similarly framed, of a couple walking along the waterside. A bird is depicted in the foreground and sailing vessels in the background. Inscribed below: En ik soen se aen een klaere waterkant (And I kiss her at the clear waterside).
Rims are lined and edges molded. The ends and back have geometrical ornament. The front side is inscribed: Verlaat de weerelt (Leave the world). This phrase is said to be frequently found on tobacco boxes: see Van der Linden, "Les boîtes en cuivres," p. 203.
Artwork Details
- Title: Tobacco box
- Date: 18th century
- Culture: Dutch
- Medium: Brass, copper
- Dimensions: 1 1/4 × 6 1/16 × 1 15/16 in. (3.2 × 15.4 × 4.9 cm)
- Classification: Metalwork-Brass
- Credit Line: Gift of C. Gustave Mourraille, in memory of his sister, Miss M. Mathilde Mourraille, 1957
- Object Number: 57.108.20
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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Johann Heinrich Giese
ca. 1760–65
Dutch
18th century
Dutch
18th century
probably Netherlandish
early 17th century
Jan Jansen Bockeltz
ca. 1605–10
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