19th-century knife box is made even more special by its pivoting panel

This English Regency knife box, made in England around 1820, was given to the Telfair Museum of Art's Owens-Thomas House in 1960. It is crafted of mahogany and features an inlaid fruitwood design. The box is approximately 19 inches high, 16 inches wide and 8 inches deep. The brass lion's face on the front panel of the box and the claw feet supporting it are typical of the adornment found on Regency-style objects and furniture.

Instead of opening with a hinged lid on top as did most knife boxes, the cutlery in this box is accessed by pivoting the front panel to reveal the storage compartment. A testament to the workmanship of this knife box is that it is still operational - the front panel still pivots completely after 200 years! Most such boxes accommodated only knives and forks, but this one also has slots for spoons.

The ivory-handled knives now stored in this box have steel blades. Usually such knives were cleaned after use with soap and water; periodically they would be inserted into a special device that abraded the blades with silica to clean them and prevent rust. In modest homes steel knife blades were abraded with brick or brick dust.

Knife boxes were kept, usually in pairs, on the sideboard in an upper class dining room. They served a utilitarian purpose but enhanced the decor in the room as well.