Hanging box

1800-1860

Measurements

5 in x 12-3/4 in x 6-3/4 in

Materials

Unidentified conifer

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp

Accession Number

1959.3664

Condition Notes

A small section of the front bottom edge of the right side has split away.

Provenance

Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp

Comments

This simple hanging box has angled sides so that it hangs canted forward, opening outward.  Although similar to a candle box, this box has many, many small gouges in the wood surface almost exclusively on the right half.  This wear pattern suggests that the box held sharp utensils (tablewares) or other similar objects that struck the sidewalls when being put into the box or removed.   

The brown paint covers much of the scarring, thus was applied after, although additional wear is visible.

The box is assembled with small cut nails, visible where a section is missing from the right front side corner.  Larger nails also exist in places, presumably where the box was reinforced at a later date.