Name/Title
Knife BoxContext
Knives out. It's #ArtifactFriday
On the sideboard table in the Neill-Cochran House Museum Dining Room are a pair of English-made, 19th-century mahogany knife boxes in the shape of classical urns. Each box is raised on a turned stem resting on a square base with four small feet. The lid is topped with a turned finial that raises on a telescoping stem to reveal a pierced wood fitted interior arranged in concentric circles for storing cutlery.
Decorative knife cases allowed people to keep precious silverware in the dining room, close at hand, while keeping the room tidy and beautiful. Fitted cutlery cases were ideal for silver utensils because they prevented scratching and tarnishing at the points of contact.
Knife urns, introduced by the British architect and designer Robert Adam (1728–1792), became a popular adornment in the late 18th century. The Neoclassical style and subsequent designs in the decorative and visual arts drew inspiration from the 'classical' art and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome. After the 1860s Neoclassical knife urns like this one found renewed popularity as antiques.
This handsome pair of knife boxes were a gift to the NCHM from Robert E. and Millicent Louise McDonald. You can see them, and all of our classical artifacts, Wed-Sun, 11-4pm.
Source: Victoria and Albert MuseumAcquisition
Accession
2000.01Source or Donor
Robert E. and Millicent Louise McDonaldAcquisition Method
Gift