Pair of English mahogany urn shaped cutlery boxes, in the Adam Style, late 19th century. The bell shaped lid topped with urn shaped finials, the body decorated with swags topped with floral rosettes, mounted on square bases with bracket feet. The lids lift on a central post and are supported open by a small wooden flange, revealing a pierced wood fitted interior arranged in concentric circles for storing cutlery.
Size: 26 h x 10 w x 10 d in
A19676
SOLD
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During the 18th century Britain experienced a boom in the building industry, with towns growing rapidly with the rise of the Industrial Revolution. Three Scottish brothers, Robert Adam (1728-1792), James Adam (1732-1794) and their youngest brother William Adam, set the style for domestic architecture and interiors for most of the latter half of the century. In 1758 the three brothers started their business in London, designing complete projects for the decoration and furnishing of houses. The brothers believed in a unified design for both architecture and interior design, with all elements of the home being designed and installed by them. Palladian design was already very popular by this time, but the Adam brothers introduced further influences including Roman, Greek, Byzantine and Baroque styles. Robert and James published two volumes of their designs, Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam (in 1773–1778 and 1779). A third volume was published posthumously in 1822.
Elaborate silver cutlery services were owned by wealthy families and were a mark of prestige. Because of the cost to produce cutlery, and to protect them from being stolen, special boxes were constructed. Named knife or cutlery boxes, these were designed for display as well as security, as the service was counted and locked away after each use. These boxes were recorded as early as 1649 but it was not until after 1720 that they appeared with any regularity in household inventories, and their popularity continued through the Victorian era. Typically these boxes would have been produced in pairs for symmetry and displayed on grand sideboards, or occasionally on plinths.
This 19th century pair of mahogany cutlery boxes were produced in the fashionable Adam Style, in the form of the classical urn-form vase with bell shaped lids and topped with urn shaped finials. The bodies are decorated with swags topped with floral rosettes, and sit on a square bases with bracket feet. The lids lift on a central post and are supported open by a small wooden flange, revealing a pierced wood fitted interior arranged in concentric circles for storing cutlery.