Box

Title:

Wooden Box/Desk

Object Name:

Box

Creator:

Unknown

Date:

1700-1720

Material:

Wood and iron

Dimensions:

H-4.75 L-21 Dia-7 inches

Description:

Wood Bible box with hinged top. The front of the box has a painted decoration of flowers in yellow and red. 'BM' is written on front of box. Box is a rural piece hinged with homemade iron pins. Box is nailed in construction with some decorative chip carving on the sides of the front and top. There is a keyhole in the front and holes in the top but a lock is missing. Plank base extends slightly beyond the box to create a molding edge. All nails are hand wrought. Box is stained a dark color.

Provenance:

A Bible box is a container originally meant to store or use a Bible. During colonial times, this type of container was produced locally in different variety of styles and finishes. Anybody who could afford nails, wood and a hammer could make their own box. Many varieties of these boxes had a slanted or angled top with a lower lip allowing for the holding of the Bible for reading. Over the years, a Bible box could also be used or built to contain writing implements. The level or slanted surface of the box then served as a desktop for writing and reading. The term "Bible box" is sometimes wrongly used in the United States when identifying objects which are in fact portable desks with no biblical connection.

Subjects:

Bibles, Boxes, Furnishings, Furniture

Place of Origin:

New England

Collection Name:

Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire

Item Number:

1990.031

Accession Number:

1990.031

Type of Material:

Objects

Copyright Statement:

For information regarding copyright, permissions, and reproductions contact the American Independence Museum

Credit Line:

American Independence Museum

Participating Organization:

American Independence Museum