Scottish Antiques-Collectables-Spoon box.

– This special spoon box is from North East Scotland, Morayshire, at Keith with ownership provenance shown in the images from a medical insurance card being wedged down the back of the draws from circa 1911.
– These spoon and candle  boxes are amongst the most decorative items of Scottish furniture with elaborate pierced motifs.

– This free standing box sits on four brass bun feet with three small sliding reeded draws above with porcelain drawer handles imitating a small model dresser in the Scottish manner.
– Three sections of highly decorative Celtic fretwork are incorporated with Scottish Thistle motifs used in the two largest panels as the pediment and front frieze to the large section above the two draws.  These fretwork panels all slide into place in their respective sections.

– The Scottish motifs* of intricate fretwork incorporate large thistles, flower/seed heads, pairs of birds/love-birds, whorls, gothic motifs and scrollwork.
– The three draws** would have been used for matches, spills, ink/scribe etc.
– The sections would have been used for horn spoons preferred by Scots to metal counterparts and to knives and forks.

– The different sections have been constructed from different available woods and stained with a dark rich stain, imitating mahogany or an expensive hardwood.
– Provenance and date are rare for vernacular and folk items but this particular spoon box has two elements, both the Medical Insurance Card giving a person/ownership, place and date which is within 8 miles of where W&W Antiques acquired this item circa 110 years later and the construction materials of the piece and one of the draw linings shown in the images. This is confirmed from a Victorian era ‘Colmans Starch’ display package with colour lithograph printing helping to date the construction of the item to the late 19th Century (1880 onwards) to early 20th Century pre-1911.