The silver box has fascinated and intrigued collectors for many centuries. It is perhaps safe to say that no other objets de vertu have attracted such vivid attention from maker and collector alike.

This book is a comprehensive study of the subject which concentrates on the development of the silver box in England from the 16th to the late 19th centuries. Because the interest of collectors lies not so much in the shape or type of boxes as in the wide variety of uses to which they have been put and the splendid enrichment lavished upon them, there is a penetrating analysis of the roots and derivations of ornament. The full colour illustrations show boxes with as many diverse forms and uses as possible.

The word 'box' covers any receptacle (unless it is a vessel) whether it is a snuffbox, a pyx or a lancet case for use in phlebotomy, as long as it possesses a lid, hinged or otherwise. The usual snuffboxes and vinaigrettes appear in plenty but they have been carefully selected to show the ingenuity of silver craftsmen. More importantly perhaps we find the splendid variety of 'special purpose' silver boxes: religious, dental and medical, skippet and seal, Masonic, jewel caskets, sweetmeat boxes, pomanders -- even the unique sumptuous Henry VIII 'Barber-Surgeons' case' of circa 1512 with its glowing enamels.

There is much hitherto unpublished material including pieces from private collections and articles from LiveryCompanies and other institutions.