A GERMAN BRASS TOBACCO BOX BY JOHANN HEINRICH GIESE (1716-1761)
signed to the cover, the base decorated with the portrait of Frederick the Great of Prussia, a cartouch of a military victory above, the cover with a similar portrait, a worn inscription reading 'Ferdinandue Dux ... Imperator...', and another military scene, 15cm wide
This box exhibits the stamped decorated typical of boxes of Western Germany at this time. The decoration was applied using a round matrix that was rolled onto the sheet brass. They were thus simpler to produce than the engraved Dutch examples.
The rolling stamp was invented by the engraver Johann Heinrich Giese. In 1755 Frederick the Great granted him a monopoly on the production of these boxes because they offered a cheap and fashionable means of spreading propaganda, many are stamped with scenes glorifying Frerderick's achievements in the Seven Years War (1756-62).
