With our highest compliments and utmost honors, Bay Colony Antiques is proud to bring to market this exceptional late 18th / early 19th century antique pair of Federal period Mahogany knife boxes. We’re always in the market for these but unfortunately there aren’t many to be had out there. In a time where your average household had only a few pieces of furniture pairs of knife boxes made from an imported wood were reserved only for the upper class. Due to their delicate nature the majority of period knife boxes have developed splits and seasoning cracks, but these have to be one of the cleanest pairs we’ve came across in years. In addition to being in exceptional condition the boxes employ one of the most desirable forms with a superb conch shell inlay on each lid. We have a database that we created to catalog different inlay patterns from different regions. After looking at hundreds of inlaid Conch shells without finding an exact match we developed a greater appreciation for how well executed these two are. When these are displayed in your home the conch shells should be facing one another we just photographed them in the wrong position. The cabinet maker used sequential cuts of Mahogany for the boxes to achieve the book matched effect where the grain mirrors each other. The boxes have a variegated wood inlay around the edges that’s repeated along the inside of the lid and around the fitted interiors. The inside of the lid has a mixed wood star inlay that looks phenomenal amid the vibrant Mahogany field. The grain layout on the sides and back transition flawlessly to the tops and there is a very unusual grain pattern present on the box on the right. The boxes are in fantastic condition with our only notes being a couple of very small veneer chips on the back that we’ll have our restorer address. The boxes measure 8 1/2” wide x 12” deep x 14” tall. When the lid is fully open the height is 23” tall.
