Carved Bible Boxes

Once used to hold prized possessions, handcrafted bible boxes are now one-of-a-kind display pieces.


English Bible Box

Although little is known about a man named John Coleby who lived in Amesbury, Mass., in 1673, the record of his household reveals that he owned an oak box in which he kept folded linens and a bible. In the days before households were equipped with doors that locked, a person's few treasured possessions -- everything from silver spoons and spices to falconry gloves and feather quills -- were either hidden under floorboards or kept in a fanciful box secured with a padlock.

Pictured: An English-made bible box from 1689 (26" x 18" x 8"; $3,000) is embellished with carved tulips and salmon red paint. Though repainted, the color matches the original hue found beneath the lock plate. the table on which it rests is of the same period.
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Typical Patterns & Styles

Few furniture pieces made before the second half of the 17th century had drawers, so things of value were stowed in a box. "Even in the Dark Ages, a European household would at least have a wooden box for storing things," says Lisa Freeman, who with her husband, John Fiske, owns Fiske & Freeman, a Belmont, Vt.--based source for early American and English furniture. "Boxes were the First home furnishing on the Continent that people made for their homes."

Pictured: Typical patterns and style include (top to bottom), chip-carved, in which geometric decorations are laid out with compass points (c. 1650; $3,500); an arabesque motif (c. 1650; $3,000); and those with large half lunettes with foliate filling (c. 1675; $3,000).
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Engraved Box

By the 17th century, in England as well as America, the boxes took on ever-increasing detail in both the carving and the hand-forged hardware. Later, as more people learned to read and write, sloped boxes evolved. "These varieties were placed on tables 30 or 32 inches high," Fiske explains, "and the boxes were another eight inches high, which meant that people typically stood to read and write." Then, as people acquired more pens and stationery, cubbyholes were added and, eventually, slant-front desks were built. "By the mid 18th century, the function of the boxes had been taken over by desks, breakfronts, and secretaries," explains Freeman.

Pictured: Boxes incised with initials and a heart shape were likely made as a wedding gift and the initials represent the man's and woman's first names.
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Bible Box Latch

Although the carvings on the boxes follow relatively conventional motifs, no two boxes are the same. "You see the hand and the eye of the carver in each," says Fiske. "Bible boxes document the history of everyday life."

Pictured: Most extant bible boxes were made in England and brought to America by settlers, but boxes were made as well. English boxes are almost exclusively made of oak, while American ones can be of oak, pine, maple, or mixed woods.
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Sloped Bible Box

Although we call these pieces bible boxes, the term is actually something of a misnomer. "They weren't really used so much for bibles," says antiques dealer Lisa Freeman. "At that time in the early 17th century in England and America, few people owned bibles. The term came into use in Victorian times."
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