Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 20

Two Dutch Colonial Tortoiseshell Bible Boxes with Silver Mounts, 18th Century

About the Item

Tortoiseshell and silver H. 5 x W. 22 x D. 12 cm Tortoiseshell and silver H. 4.3 x W. 17 x D. 9.5 cm The function of bible boxes in the Dutch East Indies was just as much a status symbol, to show off one's wealth on the way to church, as it was to hold a small bible or hymnbook. Bible boxes existed in gold, silver, ivory, sometimes inlaid with precious stones, and in Coromandel or ebony wood. In the Dutch East Indies on the way to church, the women tried to display their fortune by the costliness of her bible box. The highest-ranking women had gold bible boxes, inlaid with precious stones, carried by a slave. The lower-ranking women had wooden bible boxes as the present ones. In 1754 Governor-General Jacob Mossel decreed that only the wives and widows of a Governor-General, Director General, Councillor of India or President of the Justice Council, were allowed to carry golden boxes adorned with precious stones in public. 4750 each.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 1.78 in (4.5 cm)Width: 8.67 in (22 cm)Depth: 4.73 in (12 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Style:
    Dutch Colonial (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Silver,Tortoise Shell
  • Place of Origin:
    Sri Lanka
  • Period:
    18th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1700-1800
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Amsterdam, NL
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU5458220872972

More From This Seller

View All
A Dutch colonial ebony box with silver mounts
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Batavia (Jakarta), or Sri Lanka, circa 1680-1720 The document or money box is densely carved with fine scrolling vines and lotus flowers. It has a charming heart- shapes silver lock...
Category

Antique Late 17th Century Indonesian Dutch Colonial Antiquities

Materials

Silver

A Dutch colonial ebony box with silver mounts

A Dutch colonial ebony box with silver mounts

$21,706
A small Dutch colonial Indonesian tortoiseshell betel box with gold mounts
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Jakarta (Batavia), 18th century, apparently unmarked L. 14 x W. 9.5 x H. 4.7 cm Before settling down to business in the former Dutch East Indies, sirih had to be offered in the mos...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century Indonesian Dutch Colonial Antiquities

Materials

Gold

A small Dutch colonial Indonesian tortoiseshell betel box with gold mounts

A small Dutch colonial Indonesian tortoiseshell betel box with gold mounts

$28,941
18th-century Dutch-colonial Peranakan mother-of-pearl casket with silver mounts
Located in Amsterdam, NL
An Indonesian Peranakan mother-of-pearl inlaid mastic sirih casket with silver mounts Jakarta (Batavia), circa 1720-1730, the silver hinges marked for Batavia, maker’s mark HS or SH...
Category

Antique Mid-18th Century Indonesian Dutch Colonial Antiquities

Materials

Silver

18th-century Dutch-colonial Peranakan mother-of-pearl casket with silver mounts

18th-century Dutch-colonial Peranakan mother-of-pearl casket with silver mounts

$32,414
Free Shipping
Dutch-Colonial 18th Century Small Children's or Ladies Bureau with Silver Mounts
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A Dutch-colonial Indonesian small Albizia adoratissima, Nangka and Ambalo wood Lady’s tambour bureau with silver mounts Batavia (Jakarta) or Palembang, late 18th century H. 129.5 x W. 70 x D. 39 cm The tambour desk or bureau a` cilindre came into fashion in the Dutch East Indies of the late 18th century, when French forms prevailed in the Netherlands. The carvings on the apron and the stiles on the sides and at the top of the central stile are typical Indonesian designs. This small piece of furniture is not a miniature but was probably used as a regular bureau-cabinet by colonial society women of Indonesian-European descent. They usually are smaller than European women and often didn’t use chairs but sat or kneeled, and even slept on the floor for coolness. Earlier that century Dutch-colonial Indonesian and Cape Dutch...
Category

Antique 18th Century Indonesian Dutch Colonial Children's Furniture

Materials

Wood

Dutch-Colonial 18th Century Small Children's or Ladies Bureau with Silver Mounts

Dutch-Colonial 18th Century Small Children's or Ladies Bureau with Silver Mounts

$20,838
A 17th century Dutch-colonial ebony two-door VOC cabinet with silver mounts
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A Dutch-colonial ebony two-door cabinet with silver mounts Coromandel Coast, probably Masulipatnam, circa 1650-1680, the silver later H. 64.5 x W. 75 x D. 46 cm The present cabinet...
Category

Antique 17th Century Indian Dutch Colonial Antiquities

Materials

Silver

A 17th century Dutch-colonial ebony two-door VOC cabinet with silver mounts

A 17th century Dutch-colonial ebony two-door VOC cabinet with silver mounts

$94,061
Free Shipping
A Dutch colonial ebony box with silver mounts
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Batavia (Jakarta), or Sri Lanka, circa 1680-1720 The document or money box is densely carved with fine scrolling vines and lotus flowers. It has a charming heart- shapes silver lock...
Category

Antique 17th Century Indonesian Antiquities

Materials

Silver

A Dutch colonial ebony box with silver mounts

A Dutch colonial ebony box with silver mounts

$20,838

You May Also Like

18th Century Cromwellian Bible Box
Located in Hudson, NY
18th century oak carved bible box. Intricate design, original hardware and still in good condition considering its age.
Category

Antique 18th Century English Victorian Decorative Boxes

Materials

Wood, Oak

18th Century Cromwellian Bible Box

18th Century Cromwellian Bible Box

$1,100
A Dutch Brass Pestle, 18th Century
Located in ARMADALE, VIC
A Dutch Brass Pestle, 18th Century initialled I.L. and dated 1776 to the body, together with a turned wooden stand, convex impression to the base of the urn. Home decor, Interior de...
Category

Antique 18th Century Dutch Jars

Materials

Brass

A Dutch Brass Pestle, 18th Century

A Dutch Brass Pestle, 18th Century

$5,200
Free Shipping
Early 18th Century Blue and White Dutch Delft Clobbered Vase
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
A blue and white Dutch delft vase made circa 1700, with clobbered-style polychrome enamels added in the mid-18th century. This brightly colored blue and white Dutch delft vase is a ...
Category

Antique Early 18th Century Dutch Dutch Colonial Vases

Materials

Delft, Pottery

Early 18th Century Blue and White Dutch Delft Clobbered Vase

Early 18th Century Blue and White Dutch Delft Clobbered Vase

$4,000
19th Century Dutch Ebony Box With Silver Mounts and Hinges
Located in Stamford, CT
Dutch Colonial ebony box with silver mounts, large silver hinges and the original steel lock and key. This rare box was likely made in the Dutch East India possession of Sri Lanka, o...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century Sri Lankan Dutch Colonial Decorative Boxes

Materials

Silver, Steel

19th Century Dutch Ebony Box With Silver Mounts and Hinges

19th Century Dutch Ebony Box With Silver Mounts and Hinges

$1,910
18th Century Large Delft Urn / Vase with Handles
By Delft
Located in Basildon, GB
18th Century Large Delft Urn / Vase , with beast decorated handles, painted in blue with river landscapes, a courting couple and bridge, within foliate an...
Category

Antique Mid-18th Century Dutch Dutch Colonial Urns

Materials

Delft

18th Century Large Delft Urn / Vase with Handles

18th Century Large Delft Urn / Vase with Handles

$6,183
Chinoiserie Dutch Delft Polychrome Faience Lobed Jar, 18th Century, Holland
By Delft
Located in Austin, TX
A charming Dutch Delft ginger jar of lobed form, with chinoiserie design in polychrome tin glazed enamels, 18th century, Holland. The ginger jar (missing its lid), of globular fo...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century Dutch Chinoiserie Delft and Faience

Materials

Earthenware, Faience

Chinoiserie Dutch Delft Polychrome Faience Lobed Jar, 18th Century, Holland

Chinoiserie Dutch Delft Polychrome Faience Lobed Jar, 18th Century, Holland

$2,200

Recently Viewed

View All

More Ways To Browse

Antique Bibles
Colonial 18th Century
18th Century Colonial Furniture
5 Silver Vases
Dutch East Indies
Gold Colonial Furniture
Gold Bible
Ivory Vases Antique
Silver Tortoiseshell
Dutch Silver Box
18th Century Dutch Vases
18th Century Bible
Church Box
Tortoiseshell Gold
Ivory Inlaid
Silver Bible
Dutch Silver Mounts
18th Century Silver Inlaid
View All Popular Vases Searches