DB: My interest in snuff boxes and snuff bottles had its genesis in my love of wood, especially old wood: its grain, its patina, its warmth, its smooth feel to the touch. Though a nut is not technically wood, it has many of the attributes of wood coupled with a uniquely shiny patina.

My  first exposure to snuff boxes occurred in London when I moved there in 1968. 18th and 19th century snuff  boxes in the shape of little shoes were to become my first collection of wooden objects,  many of which were pewter inlaid. Countries of origin included England, the Netherlands, and France. Some were known to be made  by prisoners of war; others by those interested in having and displaying  an object which was associated with the joy of seeing a ladies shoe peaking under the bottom of a long skirt

When I first held a coquilla nut snuff box, its shine and patina, its hardness and its intricate carvings had a great appeal to me and motivated my buying the first few that were offered to me. After that, I bought virtually every one  that I came across: in England, in France, in the Netherlands, in the United States, in Australia … wherever.

DB: The most compelling attributes  of coquilla nut bottles and boxes are their patina and very intricate carvings. They are a joy to hold and study. Each one is different, each one is unique. The carvings of the boxes are intricate and detailed and, in some cases, perfect replicas of famous paintings. The skill required to make such carvings is extraordinarily great, the time required, extensive. Striving for perfection is a necessary attribute.

DB: Edward H. Pinto, in his well known book, Treen and Other Wooden Bygones, attributed the origin of the carving of coquilla nut objects to European countries, even though the country of origin of coquilla nuts, viz., Brazil, was well known. It was  always my belief that the nuts found their way to countries in Europe as the ballast of ships or imported for the purpose of making jewelry like necklaces, rosaries, and the like; and that the carvings of figures of men were the “cartoons of the day.” Carved faces, grotesque or otherwise, were amusing replications of faces of real people. In addition to figures of men and women, many of the bottles and boxes are carved in the shape of animals, some are of ships of the British and French navies, some are scenes of famous paintings,  some feature religious

It was not until more detailed research was done into the carvers of the boxes and bottles that it was determined that the carvers were mostly enslaved Black people, those who were exported to Brazil to work on sugar plantations or enslaved people who worked on whaling ships and naval vessels which  stopped  in ports of the Atlantic. And it was in these ports that coquilla  nut objects which they carved were most likely sold for spending money. These transactions introduced the carved coquilla nut box and bottle to European ports and markets where they stayed until sold today in antiques shops, found their way into private collections and some museums,  and, in the case of the Pinto collection of treen, into the Birmingham Museum.

DB: My collection, with over 600 pieces, includes many different subjects: bottles and boxes featuring: men and women, animals, ships, military figures, carvings of famous battles and religious objects, several pyxs, a pipe with carvings of events on St. Helena, heads of famous people, and needle holders. The very first objects I acquired were boxes featuring men; and since then, I have continued to add to my collection whenever I find a subject matter which is not represented by the carvings I have or is a uniquely fine example.

DB: I have always been a collector, from my childhood to the present. Stamps, butterflies, even  baby starfish acquired on lobster boats out of Gloucester, Mass., ended up in my books or glass displays from my early years. Collecting stevengraphs, small silk pictures made in Coventry in the late  19th century, became a passion of mine in the 1960’s. And for the past 40 years, I have built an extensive collection of  American decorative arts, namely furniture, with  the advice and help of members of the Sack family whose father founded America’s preeminent antique furniture enterprise and whose pieces which they sold are now in every major museum in America, bar none (!).

Having lived a number of years in London, I became aware of snuff boxes carved in the shape of women’s shoes, boxes made in the 18th and 19th centuries; and today, I have what must be considered one of the largest and finest collections of these small and interesting objects.

Then, in 1970, I learned of coquilla nut snuff boxes in the shape of little men, men with often interesting and grotesque faces. After that, I purchased almost every coquilla nut object I came across with the help of a number of dealers in Australia, England, the United States, the Netherlands, and France.

The other artifact I have collected is silver objects made by Hester Bateman, the premier woman silversmith in the late 18th century in England. My collection of her silver pieces  is reportedly the finest and  largest in existence.

What is the driving force behind my desire to collect? Quite simply, to own more than one example of items which I value, for whatever reason,  from starfish to objects worthy of being exhibited in museums.

DB: Yes, I plan to continue to grow my coquilla snuff bottle and box collection. Other collections which I have include lead soldiers featuring participants in the Revolutionary War, tin figures made by the well known Mexican artist Felquerez, and fine Russian lacquer boxes.

DB: My collections have never been exhibited in public. I would liken to have my collection of coquilla nut boxes and bottles exhibited in as many museums as possible because the origin of these objects will be a subject of wide interest. “Black lives do matter,” a  phrase or expression which has become an increasingly important part of the vocabulary of today’s world. I would also like to exhibit my collection of Hester Bateman silver pieces, Hester Bateman’s being  the most famous female silversmith ever. Both the coquilla nut collection  and my silver collection are unique and historically noteworthy.

DB: A book entitled Portraits in a Nutshell: The Art and History of Coquilla Nut Snuff Bottles and Boxes will soon be published by the Brandeis Univeristy Press. The most exciting aspect of this event will be to make the public aware of a heretofore unknown art form, created by enslaved Blacks. In so doing, it is my hope that further research will be motivated, research pertaining to the lives of these people and their art which was created in many many geographies in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries in counties of South American, countries of  Europe, and the United States.