A Very Good Quality, 18th Century, George III Period, Mahogany Pair Of Knife, Or Cutlery, Boxes Of Typical Shape With Serpentine Fronts And Superbly Figured, Inlaid And Crossbanded Sloped Lids, Revealing Later Fabric Lined Interior Compartments.Cutlery boxes, or as they are now more commonly referred to, Knife boxes, were of course originally made with the purpose of housing the homes most precious and valuable cutlery and enable it to be locked away when not in use. This was very important as generally the cutlery used by wealthy homes in the 18th and early 19th centuries would be extremely expensive to purchase, utilising materials like silver and bone in its construction.They nearly always came in pairs and were nearly always found standing proudly atop the serving table, or sideboard in the dining room. Often there would be two pairs, one for serving utensils and one for eating utensils, which is why you often find a whole variety of different sized slots contained within t...