Pair of knife boxes, in mahogany inlaid with boxwood. England, 1770-1780.

Pair of knife-boxes. English, about 1775. Mahogany inlaid with boxwood, satinwood and ebony. Rectangular with shaped serpentine front, with four lines of vertical herring-bone stringing in satinwood and ebony. Hinged cover sloping backwards from serpentine front to a flat horizontal top is decorated with herring bone surround and a star in satinwood and ebony, and on the inside with a boxwood and ebony star within a diamond compartment. Three claw-and-ball feet in brass, one in the middle of the front, two at the back corners. Each case is fitted with wood sockets for two dozen knives and more accessories.

The case W49A-1937 contains one dozen silver handled table knives and one dozen similar desert knives, and the case of W.49 contains one dozen silver handled table knives and eleven dessert knives. Case W.49 also contains one carving fork and W.49A also one carving fork and one carving knife, all of similar pattern.

Given by Eric M. Browett

Given by Eric Browett in memory of his wife. Mr Browett gave more than twenty pieces of English furniture, mostly of the second half of the eighteenth century (W.47 to W.74-1937). Most of the pieces were shown together in Gallery 44 on first acquisition (neg. no. 77456).

Lent to the Judges' Lodgings Museum, Lancaster from 1987.

For a discussion of the collection see: Ralph Edwards, 'The Browett Gift of English Furniture at the Victoria and Albert Museum', Country Life, 9 October 1937, pp. 380-381.

On loan to the Judges Lodgings, Lancaster.

W.49&A to A/24 & 1 to 26 -1937