Knife box, one of pair
Dateca. 1820
MediumMahogany, lacewood, tulip poplar, white pine, and brass
DimensionsOH: 28"; OW: 12 3/4"; OD: 12 3/4"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1997-1,2
DescriptionOne of a pair of classical carved and reeded gilt & ormolu-mounted lift-top mahogany knife urns. Each box has cylidrical, reeded sides with a shield shaped brass plaque on the front with the ciper "EMA," domed lid with a carved and gilded pineapple finial, square pedastle base with ormolu lion-paw feet.Label TextThe most common version of the knife case from the form's inception through the 1820s was a rectangular box with a shaped front and a deep, slanted lid. New knife case designs were introduced between the 1780s and the middle of the nineteenth century. Some, like the vase- or urn-shaped case, became fashionable standards, while others, including an elliptic form, were never produced in large numbers.Mark(s)Shield shaped brass plaques on the front of each knife box engraved in script "EMA" for Edward and Mary Austen of Baltiore.ProvenanceDescended in the Austen family of Maryland. Acquired by Woldman & Woldman (dealers) from the widow of a direct descendant of the original owner. Believed to have been owned originally by Edward and Mary Austen whose families emigrated from England and settled in the Baltimore area in 1795.
ca. 1820
1815-1825
ca. 1770
ca. 1810
1780-1810
1790-1815