A Dutch engraved brass snuff box in the form of a tortoise
Northern Netherlands, 18th century
The box is made from the carapace of a juvenile African leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis).
L. 10 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Canada
Set into the underside is a circular brass lid engraved with a lively peasant dance scene. Above the figures appears the inscription: “Giese en Anne met die mans toonen hier een lichten Dans.” (“Giese and Anne with these men show here a light dance.”) While “een lichten dans” may be understood as a “lively dance,” the phrase likely carries a more playful connotation. In 17th- and 18th-century Dutch visual culture, dancing scenes frequently alluded to flirtation and courtship and could subtly suggest moral looseness or erotic play. Such imagery, often humorous rather than explicit, belongs to a long Netherlandish tradition of genre scenes in which festivity and desire intertwine.
Erotic and semi-erotic engravings are not uncommon on Dutch snuffboxes of the period. These small, intimate objects, typically carried in a waistcoat pocket and passed from hand to hand in a social setting, were ideally suited to discreet visual wit. The engraved lid created a moment of shared amusement.
The box is made from the carapace of a juvenile African leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis).
L. 10 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Canada
Set into the underside is a circular brass lid engraved with a lively peasant dance scene. Above the figures appears the inscription: “Giese en Anne met die mans toonen hier een lichten Dans.” (“Giese and Anne with these men show here a light dance.”) While “een lichten dans” may be understood as a “lively dance,” the phrase likely carries a more playful connotation. In 17th- and 18th-century Dutch visual culture, dancing scenes frequently alluded to flirtation and courtship and could subtly suggest moral looseness or erotic play. Such imagery, often humorous rather than explicit, belongs to a long Netherlandish tradition of genre scenes in which festivity and desire intertwine.
Erotic and semi-erotic engravings are not uncommon on Dutch snuffboxes of the period. These small, intimate objects, typically carried in a waistcoat pocket and passed from hand to hand in a social setting, were ideally suited to discreet visual wit. The engraved lid created a moment of shared amusement.
Part of the Europe collection.
