This circular turned box is worked in a virtuoso fashion; the lid is in the form of a rose; the sides are turned in the form of open basketwork. Turned ivories, worked on a lathe, were produced at the courts of Dresden, Braunschweig and Florence, as well as elsewhere in Europe from the sixteenth century onwards. In addition to highly skilled court artists whjo operated the lathes, rulers sometimes produced turned ivories. Here the artist is unknown. This dextrous openwork turning is unusual, although comparable pieces can be found at Dresden and Braunschweig.