Antiques
Antique English Oak Bible Box, circa 1760
- Item Number
- 127
- Estimated Value
- 1800 USD
- Opening Bid
- 600 USD
Item Description
Become the lucky owner of this important and treasured English Oak Bible Box, circa 1760, with its three drawers fitted in the interior (see photo in listing with these details) and a sloping lid for writing or reading; these types of boxes are usually called "desk boxes" or, in England, "slopes" and have iron fittings. The top is attached by butterfly hinges and this stunning antique box measures twenty-six by eleven by sixteen inches.
More English oak bible boxes have survived from the seventeenth century and beyond than any other form of furniture. Like their larger cousin, the chest, they were very useful. Chests stored larger items, and boxes the smaller ones: almost anything that today one might put in a drawer would have been kept in a box. Though the boxes are from the 1700's, the name "bible boxes" is from the nineteenth century. They were obviously used to store far more than just bibles; indeed, boxes outnumbered bibles by many times. In New England, very similar boxes were made and used for similar purposes; often a box was listed in an inventory upon probate.
English boxes are usually made of oak, though examples made of walnut can be found. Boxes are typically made of boards joined by nails and pegs; sometimes they have small notches chiseled out of them to prevent the wood splitting along the grain. All are fitted with locks -- houses in the period were much more public than today's, and personal items had to kept secure and private.
This box would look wonderful on a sideboard, in your Nantucket home, or in any other place that you live - be it a traditional or contemporary residence.
Item Special Note
The condition of the bible box can be termed "excellent" with a lovely patina to its finish. This valuable antique Bible Box will be professionally packed and shipped/insured to anywhere in the continental United States. The value is based on appraisals by prominent antique dealers.
Donated By:
John Reindel
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