Georgian Silver Bougie Box, 1798

This is a splendid George III period silver bougie box with lift-off cover and carrying handle.

This antique box is beautifully engraved all over and has a vacant cartouche to one side of the body. The cover has an aperture for the wax and swivelling cutter for extinguishing the flame, whilst the handle to the body is hinged and can be secured against the box during travel. The box bears a full set of London hallmarks for 1798 and was made by the top silversmithing partnership of Phipps & Robinson. This is a fine example in superb condition with the bonus of a coiled length of sealing wax contained inside.

Wax jacks or bougie boxes were an essential part of desk equippage and were used to hold coils of sealing wax. Bougie boxes tended to be favoured when travelling as they could be easily packed away and retrieved when required, plus they had the added benefit of providing a small amount of light when needed. The taper would be threaded through the hole in the cover and lit, allowing the user enough heat to melt the wax to seal letters and documents.