Box with Relief-carved Lid
late 19th century
Medium
Decorative Arts
Classification
Decorative Arts
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Accession Number
1986.65.74
Tags
About this artwork
Folk artists and craftsmen make boxes for both functional and decorative reasons. An unknown artist created this piece in the late nineteenth century and decorated it with a pattern of leaves and symbols. The box’s interior is also decorated: the lid shows a print of two harness racers, while the base has a nostalgic scene of children playing in front of a large house. The heart, diamond, and spade designs on the lid suggest the box was designed to hold playing cards or poker chips.
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –