Tobacco box, brass, Holland and Iran, 18th Century
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
18th Century
Brass tobacco box. Made in the Netherlands, 18th Century, and later imported to iran in the 19th Century where it was engraved. The body is engraved with a scrolling acanthus design around the centre, and a narrower floral band around the top and bottom edges. The lid and base are each engraved with five human figures, within cartouches, again surrounded by a floral pattern.
This object was purchased in Tehran in 1873, by Robert Murdoch Smith on behalf of the Museum. In his first bulk acquisition for the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A), Murdoch Smith had bought "a considerable collection" of over 100 examples of metalwork, ceramic, inlaid woodwork and textile from different local sources, including French diplomat Emile Charles Bernay and four art-dealers: Nasrullah Dellal, Abu'l-Hassan Dellal, Abdul-Husayn and Reza Kashi of Tehran.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 4
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Many further acquisitions followed in the years 1873-1878 and 1883-1885, most extensively from the private collector Jules Richard.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Brass, engraved
- Dimensions
- Length: 15.5 cm; Height: 3 cm; Width: 4.5 cm
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- Holland, Iran
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London collection record for this single object (sentences kept verbatim apart from removed sale or rarity wording); how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Candidate id
- vam-O379094
- Museum object name
- Tobacco box
- Holding institution
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum object number
- 512-1874
- Museum system number
- O379094
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and dating against a specialist reference; this entry documents one recorded example.