George III Mahogany Serpentine Fronted Knife Box Converted To Stationary Holder C. 1780

A fine George III knife box in flame mahogany that has later been converted to a stationary holder. The serpentine front is edged with boxwood and ebony rope inlay. Black ebony beading frames the opening edges and a starburst inlay adorns the inside of the lid. Original hinges to lid. The interior has been fitted out in mahogany with compartments for letters.

The box is in good condition for its age with just a few regular scrapes and dings that add character and do not detract from function.

Knives were traditionally put in locked boxes for security. The early boxes were square or with a simple bowed front, made of walnut or covered with leather or shagreen (shark skin). Later, as the eighteenth century progressed and the sinuous lines of the Rococo style spread across Europe, knife boxes began to appear with deep, elaborately bowed fronts with serpentine curves. No longer carried away to the butler’s pantry, they became a decorative feature on the sideboard in their own right. Cutlery boxes in the form of urns became popular in the early 1800s as Neo-Classicism became the fashion, and were sometimes incorporated into Regency sideboards.