Featured Desk Box - English or American?

An unusually small ( 10-1/2" wide X 7-1/2" deep X 6" high) desk box is up for grabs at Bonhams in Oxford UK this month in their "The Oak Interior" sale.
It's a boarded oak, pine and painted box with a red painted interior with a rear till and carved on all 4 sides with floral strapwork.
Circa 1670, reputedly purchased from a house in Boston Mass.
Although this box is believed to originate from America, it may also be a 'prototype' from Devon England.
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26...paign=CAT+-+FUR-OAK+-+Oak+SnL+-+2603008102020

Click to enlarge

 

It is a beauty, James.

 

I love stuff like this. Would it have functioned as a writing slope? Are the hinges original?

 

At first I thought English because of the brass hinges (americans were PROHIBITED! from engaging in brass foundries) but now I am not so sure.
The hinges are probably replaced now that I look at it and, the lock is MIA so no help at all, the keeper on the underside of lid looks like iron.
Waiting on condition report + questions but, I am interested!

 

It's not Ruth, but it's a beauty!!

 

I don't think so, 99% sure they are not, if they were the box would almost certainly be english.

 

Generally speaking, Yes, but this one is so small at 10 inches wide, it's a bit of a puzzle. Early "full size" desk boxes like this are usually in the 18-24 inches wide range so this is approx 1/2 size.
On another note, the BP is 27.5% plus in England, they have a VAT tax of 20% so before we even talk about CC charges (typically 3% fee) or shipping (not a clue) we are at 50% above the hammer price that will be added on.

 

On the other hand, a quick look at Marhamchurch, my go-to english dealer for all things in early oak in the UK.

"Elizabeth I oak and marquetry desk box of tiny proportions. Inlaid with holly and bog oak and stained woods. The sloping lid decorated with an arrangement of bands of chequer ornament, with a central plaque inlaid with bone, holly and bog oak. The front decorated with two eight pointed stars within borders of chequer inlay. The sides and back are inlaid with designs of buildings in the style of Nonsuch Palace."
12-width X 9-high X 9-depth
https://www.marhamchurchantiques.com/antique/elizabeth-nonsuch-desk-box/

Circa 1570-1590

Click to enlarge


Elizabeth I Nonsuch desk box

 

You generally pay VAT on the BP, not on the hammer price. If they're charging VAT on hammer, they're ripping you off.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/auctioneers-scheme-for-vat-notice-7182 . Essentially, you account for VAT on the services margin.

Credit card charges are illegal, but you'd pay commission to your own provider for foreign exchange.

Bonhams are robbers.

 

They could be period English hinges.

Your remark "PROHIBITED! from engaging in brass foundries" took me by surprise, but there were a series of Acts of Trade and Navigation (1651-1773) that put tight restrictions on colonial trade throughout the British Empire (not just America). The colonies were intended to provide raw materials to British manufacturers and to purchase manufactured goods from Britain. And transport was to be on British ships with British crews.

Found this online:
Between 1660 and 1696 the British Parliament passed the Acts of Trade, which required all European goods bound for America to be shipped through England first. To this end, early colonists were only allowed to use British brass hardware. The Acts of Trade even outlawed brass foundries in the colonies. It wasn’t until the 1830’s that American manufacturers began to mass-produce their own hardware.
https://www.nostalgicwarehouse.com/explore/style-guide/colonial/

 

I always assume it will cost me double the hammer price on the rare occasions I participate in an English auction, & that's for small, easily shipped items.

The Nonsuch box is a gem.

Not so different from the way US treats Puerto Rico.

 

Interesting, yes, I was aware that the colonists were PROHIBITED! from engaging in the brass foundry biz. I always assumed for 2 main reasons, economic of course but I would think political as well. Cannons are cast in foundries & NO TELLING! where that could lead!
Still, even though virtually all brass early furniture hardware was English, early american furniture collectors still prefer to have that original british hardware.

Yikes! yes, I tried to read terms of sale a bit, gee wiz, you need to be a lawyer to figure out what they are saying.

Well, I would say if that's the case the box is probably english. Why? because they are so small. While we imported brass william & mary, QA and chippendale brasses along with H hinges and the like for furniture, I don't think likely for a box this small.

 

Something is not right with these hinges, they may be period but, I don't think original to the box.
Edited & enlarged

 

Detective James!!!!!

 

Well, you know, it's ALL we got to go on, construction details! One of my fav subjects.
Which is why, because of our import situation back in the day, you are far more likely to find iron hardware on early american furniture forms, it could be crafted by your local blacksmith.

 

Or, if you didn't happen to have a blacksmith handy, you could fashion "Snipe" hinges, often called cotter pin hinges with an iron rod and a bit of heat.
These hinges are very common on early american furniture.

 

Meanwhile, not a big fan of Bonhams sales administration. They have a large "Request Condition Report" button on their site and I emailed again thru invaluable.com asking questions & requesting more photos. This was last Wednesday but so far Bonhams response has been
DROP DEAD!

 

Hi James, I bought the box for my own collection in Bonhams and it is a beautiful small piece, when I looked at the hinges I first thought they were replacements, but the more I study the them they seem to have been the only ones to have ever been on the box, the use of brass hinges in England during this period is almost unheard of.

Paul Fitzsimmons of Marhamchurch Antiques

 

by the way under the hinges there is a piece of dovetailed wood which is not explainable at all, normally when we see this you would think replaced hinges and the fillet of wood applied to adjust for new, but there are no extra holes for previous hinges, the box is also very small indeed, so quite possibly an over cut hole for the hinges then back filled? it's all a mystery for now. The bottom board is pine and oak boards look like American timber, not English West Country oak.

 

Interesting, yes, very odd situation on hinge mounting. I thought about that, overcut & then filled in originally but I kind of rejected that theory considering the overall quality of construction seemed too good for a mistake like that. Who knows though? could be.
Congrats! on getting the box, I was drawn to it immediately, it's a very nice piece and, if American, even better!