The decorative qualities of this silver sugar box reflect the preciousness of this sweet substance in 17th century Britain, as does the lockable clasp which would have kept the contents safe from theft by domestic servants. The surface of the box has been chased (the metal surface modelled with a hammer and steel tools) in a style known as ‘Chinoiserie’, which drew inspiration from illustrated travel books about Asia and the Middle East, and from painted decoration on Chinese porcelain and other imported works of art from Asia. The snake handle (a symbol of marital harmony) and pair of initials on the base of the box, suggest it may have been a marriage gift.
Sugar cane originated in Asia and was introduced to Europe by the Arabs and Berbers when they conquered the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century AD. It was later transplanted to the Spanish Canary Islands where it became the main product produced and traded. Its successful cultivation relied on the labour of enslaved Africans who were imported to work on the plantations. This agricultural model was reproduced on an larger scale in Britain’s West Indian colonies. The terrible conditions and high levels of mortality on sugar plantations prompted British abolitionists to call for a national boycott of West Indies-produced sugar. By 1808 Thomas Clarkson, the anti-slavery campaigner, was able to report that 250,000 people had 'left off Sugar and Rum'.