Dutch Delftware Tobacco Jar

An early 18th-century Delftware tobacco jar of baluster form, painted in cobalt blue with a central cartouche inscribed “No. 6 R. HOLLANDE G.”, framed by scrollwork, stylised foliage, and flanking figures of Native Americans in feathered headdresses, each holding smoking pipes. Tobacco jars of this type were made for use in tobacconists’ shops, where numbered sets of jars allowed merchants to distinguish between different blends. The inscription “R. HOLLANDE” identifies a Holland-cut variety of tobacco, while the number six denotes its place within a larger shop inventory.
The imagery of Native figures reflects European associations between the New World and the origin of tobacco, a motif widely employed in Delft pottery of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The bold blue decoration, combined with the clean white glaze, demonstrates the technical quality of Dutch Delftware at its peak.