Spice box 1602/3 W. R., London The intricate ornament on this scallop-shaped box reflects the late Elizabethan taste for Antwerp Mannerism; indeed, many specialized workers active in London’s goldsmiths’ trade came from the Spanish Netherlands. Although shell-shaped boxes such as this one are sometimes referred to as spice boxes, according to early seventeenth-century inventories, they were used for serving sugar, an expensive delicacy. The English often sweetened their wine with sugar or honey, a habit that persisted through the seventeenth Spice box. British, London. 1602/3. Silver

Spice box 1602/3 W. R., London The intricate ornament on this scallop-shaped box reflects the late Elizabethan taste for Antwerp Mannerism; indeed, many specialized workers active in London’s goldsmiths’ trade came from the Spanish Netherlands. Although shell-shaped boxes such as this one are sometimes referred to as spice boxes, according to early seventeenth-century inventories, they were used for serving sugar, an expensive delicacy. The English often sweetened their wine with sugar or honey, a habit that persisted through the seventeenth Spice box. British, London. 1602/3. Silver. Metalwork-Silver

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