Also known as a “Dutchman’s Log” and associated
with Pieter Holm (1685/6-1776),
the elongated box with rounded end and a hinged lid,
the top engraved
with Julius Ceasar, above 45(BC) – the date of the introduction of the Julian calendar,
and Pope Gregory
XIII above 1482 – the date of the introduction of the
Gregorian calendar, siding an engraved
perpetual calendar; the verso engraved with a man holding a
sphere (tentatively identified as Amerigo
Vespucci) above the date 1497 in a round
reserve,
above a ship’s speed table, and the Dutch inscription
“Geen
konst maar rijkdom kan men verliesen, Daarom is konst voor rijkdom te kiezen”
(“Not experience but riches can be
lost, therefore let experience prevail above riches”),
the side with script
engraving “Reght (Regt) Door Zee”
(the Amsterdam nautical school Holm established in
1737)
Condition: minor imperfections
Note:
The tables inscribed on the seaman’s tobacco were intended as an
aide-de-mémoire for sailors
and navigators. With the first table it was easy to work out the weekday and
the lunar age for any
calendar date. The second table enabled the seaman to obtain a rough
estimate for the ship’s speed
from which the daily progress of the ship could be calculated. A guide can
be found online through
www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/homepage.html
Also see Pieter Holm and his Tobacco Box (Marine Historical
Association, Mystic
[Connecticut], 1953 (a PDF 28-page copy available online)
1 1/8”H x 6 3/8”W x 1 7/8”D
SOLD
#5433 |
