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74
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74. A Dutch Delftware shaped tray, 1770-80
74
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74. A Dutch Delftware shaped tray, 1770-80
Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Voluntary lot
Description
74. A Dutch Delftware shaped tray, 1770-80
Of cartouche form, depicting the process of tobacco-making with two men at work by their machines, the foreground strewn with tobacco leaves and a pot inscribed "RAPE," the everted rim decorated with a band of foliate scrolls against a stippled ground, the corners decorated with trelliswork panels overlaid with a flowerhead, 30.9cm diam., inscribed "31K" to base in red
This tray depicts the process of tobacco-making in the 18th century Dutch Republic. After flattening the curly and dried leaves, the tobacco would be weighed and cut. The inscription of the jar in the foreground, "RAPE," after the French word râpé, meaning grated, is a reference to the type of tobacco this vessel contained: snuff.
A similar plaque depicting the process of tobacco-making is in the Musée Royal d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels, inv. Ev.364.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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