Tobacco box 1755 - 1770

Curator: Here we have an intricately crafted tobacco box, created by Johan Adolph Keppelman sometime between 1755 and 1770. Editor: It's remarkably detailed! My immediate impression is that the texture invites handling, it begs to be touched despite its apparent age. Curator: Indeed. The chased metal relief work presents a visual hierarchy, from the foregrounded text and portraiture, to the dense battle scene occupying the central register. Editor: Looking at the piece, one can almost feel the meticulous labour involved. This isn't just a container, but a testament to skilled craftsmanship. I'm particularly curious about the origins of Keppelman's workshop. Where did the metal come from, and how did it reflect the socio-economic status of its intended user? Curator: The bilateral symmetry is striking. The mirroring of portrait cartouches framing a chaotic central panel create an undeniable visual tension. Notice the elaborate flourishes that border these scenes. This is High Baroque formalism employed on a functional object. Editor: Do you think such detail made it a utilitarian or status symbol? Or maybe even both, as the craftsmanship embedded political messaging or statements about power. Tobacco, at the time, after all, was itself tied up with colonial exploitation. Curator: Perhaps we could consider the tension between surface decoration and the box's function. The very act of opening it becomes a semiotic event, disrupting its composure and revealing the object's true purpose. Editor: Examining Keppelman’s tobacco box from a material perspective invites consideration of the history it embodies – from the extraction of resources to the social practices surrounding tobacco use and artisanal labor during the Baroque period. Curator: Precisely. A layered interplay of objecthood and artistry. Editor: It gives us a sense of history’s materiality.