Dutch Tobacco Box

Explanation:

Dutch tobacco boxes of this kind, made of copper and brass, survive in relatively large numbers; most are engraved with biblical scenes and texts. This one is unusual in that its lid portrays a farrier’s shop with a horse being shod, while the base shows a blacksmith at work.

The accompanying Dutch text is not easy to decipher and translate. On the lid it appears to read ‘Sa baas Wilt Maeken haast gedaan gij Moet Mijn Paart goet beslaan’. An approximate translation is ‘Your master will make haste you must shoe my horse well.’ The inscription on the base is largely indecipherable, but includes the words ‘een Pijp Toeback’ (‘a pipe of tobacco’).