3D model of a tobacco box (NHMW-ZOO-MO-0081100-ETH-046)

3D model of a tobacco box which is part of the Uetz collection. This tobacco box or snuff tin is made from a genuine cowry snail. The shell was framed in silver and could be opened. The box was made around 1720 for a captain. Cowrie shells have a porcelain-like surface, as the shell of the living animal is protected by its mantle.

Karl Uetz (1914–1998) was a private collector and owner of a large mollusc collection. In addition to thousands of snail and mussel shells, the collection also contains approximately 200 art and everyday objects as well as ethnographic objects. The collection was purchased by the NHMW in 1974 and digitised in 2025.