The November 2024 issue of Collect Magazine featured an article on one of the tobacco boxes we will be showcasing at PAN Amsterdam. This box is part of a remarkable collection of over 30 boxes, all from a single collector who has assembled them over the past 35 years. Tobacco was once a luxury item, and silver boxes were often crafted to match its prestige. Many of these boxes are intricately engraved, often depicting biblical scenes and significant historical events of the period.

When taxes surged following a revision of the tax system in 1747, dissatisfaction boiled over into the ‘pachtersoproer’ (tax collectors’ revolt) in Amsterdam in 1748. During this uprising, several tax officials were attacked and their homes looted. Numerous prints capturing these events were made, and some scenes were even engraved on silver tobacco boxes from that era. Although this scene appears calm, the tax collector on this tobacco box is under close watch.