A tradition continued

December 2025

The buffalo horn tobacco box has a long tradition. As early as the end of the seventeenth century, such boxes were made in England by pressing sheets of horn or whalebone into metal matrices. At that time, they were used to store pipe tobacco. The technique of pressing has remained alive since then and has returned regularly. It even spread to other countries such as the German states. The box depicted is a later example made in Portugal around 1820, now intended for snuff. As usual, the box has been left plain, the decoration concentrated on the lid. In the centre we see an altar with two burning hearts, flanked by two turtledoves. The inscription love till death do us part in the Portuguese language makes the snuff box a suitable wedding gift. The inscription on the edge reads two united hearts make one sorrow. Both horn and whalebone are strong materials and therefore suitable for years of use. However, the material wore out over time, and in other cases it warped, causing the boxes to start leaking. Despite this, such objects remained in use until they were superseded by artificial materials around 1850. Fortunately, our snuff box was preserved in very good condition.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 30.489

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