FIVE DUTCH DELFT BLUE AND WHITE TOBACCO JARS WITH BRASS COVERS

Tobacco was first introduced in Europe from the Americas by the Spanish, where it quickly became popular both for medicinal and recreational uses. Tobacco continued to be grown in the Americas, where the leaf was dried and twisted into cords called 'carottes' to be shipped to the markets of Europe. On arrival, the carottes were ground by tobacco merchants and kept in Delft jars, such as those offered here, labeled according to the flavor of the tobacco, such as tonka bean, or where it originated, such as Varinas or St. Domingo.