Delieb, Eric — Silver boxes

Ferndale Editions, 1979 Cloth, with dust jacket. 119 pages. Text in English. As new, minimal signs of use to the dust jacket. In his book, Investing in Silver, Mr. Delieb threw a welcome light on many previously ignored aspects of the field of Antique Silver, and included a short essay on the Box. His new book is a comprehensive study of the subject, in which he concentrates on the development of the silver box in England from the 16th to the late 19th centuries. He feeis that the collector's interest is prompted not so much by the shape or type of the box as by the wide variety of uses to which it has been put and the splendid enrichment lavished upon it; he has thus been led into a penetrating analysis of the roots and derivations of ornament. In the 96 pages of magnificent illustrations, all in full colour, he shows boxes with as many diverse forms and uses as possible. Once again, to present hitherto unexposed material, he relies on private collections, with the addition of articles from Livery Companies and other institutions. His thesis in this work is that any receptacle (unless it is a vessel) is to be included in the genus 'Box', (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. Thus, he is not content merely to show the usual snuffboxes and vinaigrettes, although these appear in plenty, and have been carefully selected to show the ingenuity of silver craftsmen, but also delights us with a splendid array of 'special purpose' boxes: Reiigious, dental and medical, skippet and seal. Masonic, jewel-caskets, sweetmeat boxes, pomanders - there is even the unique sumptuous Henry VIII 'Barber-Surgeons' Case' of circa 1512 in glowing enamels. This book presents a completely new approach to ornament: by applying comparative analysis Mr. Delieb has evolved a startling theory about engraved decoration on boxes and his consultations with a distinguished craftsman have confirmed his suspicions. This in turn has prompted him to undertake an examination, never before attempted, of the genealogies of some of the famous Birmingham box-makers: Nathaniel Mills, Matthew Linwood, Joseph Willmore and Joseph Taylor, and for the first time their complicated biographies are revealed, to answer many important queries. This book will surely be an important addition to any collector's library.