An extremely fine & rare late seventeenth century double spice Box made in London circa 1685-90, maker's mark of DS with a crown above.
An extremely fine & rare late seventeenth century double spice Box made in London circa 1685-90, maker's mark of DS with a crown above.
375303
The piece we refer to is an extremely fine and scarce silver gilt Double Spice Box which was made in London circa 1685-90 and bears the maker’s mark of DS with a crown above, a skilled maker of very fine early boxes of innovative design. As you will see from the images this piece is of broad rectangular form, with cut corners and a central hinged section. This piece is, therefore, a double compartment box. The covers of each compartment are beautifully engraved with pluming foliate scrolls, with an outer border of stiff leafage on a scratch engraved ground. The base is engraved with an identical design. The sides display an upper and lower band of arrow head motifs, typical of the designs of the late Seventeenth century. As you will appreciate it would have been an important individual who would have been carrying two different types of spice around at this date and the covers open by squeezing the sides and then they pop open. The box is in quite outstanding condition and the base of each compartment is very well marked with the maker’s mark. It is also of a very good weight and gauge of silver. This is one of the rarest spice containers which we have offered over all of the years. The only other example we have been able to find, in our library, is in the catalogue of the Lion Collection of boxes and is illustrated on page 61.
Length: 2.75 inches, 6.88 cm.
Width: 1.45 inches, 3.63 cm.
Height: 0.5 inches, 1.25 cm.
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