In ancient times, to store household items, mankind invented boxes. Dresses, fabrics, furs, and other valuables were usually stored in large boxes; swords, daggers, and other weapons were put in separate boxes. And for storing small items: various jewelry, jewelry, buttons, threads, and beads – they adapted small jewelry boxes.
At first, the boxes were simple wooden boxes with a lid. For beauty, they were decorated with drawings, and carvings, decorated with precious stones, upholstered inside with beautiful fabric. Later, boxes were made from various materials, not only wood, but also stone, metal, and ceramics. Boxes were made by hand, often custom-made for a specific person and for a specific purpose. For this reason, such a box could sometimes be even more expensive than what was in it.
To protect expensive contents from prying eyes and theft, the boxes were closed with locks, equipped with a hidden double or even triple bottom. Only their creator, the owner himself, and a limited number of people could open such a lock with a secret.
Wooden boxes in myths and fairy tales
According to the ancient Greek myth, Zeus hid all the troubles and hopes in a box and strictly forbade it to be opened. But Pandora, out of curiosity, opened the forbidden casket and innumerable troubles and misfortunes fell upon the earth and its inhabitants, and at the bottom of the box, by the will of Zeus, only hope remained.
One of the nine Muses, the patroness of the history of Clio, is depicted with a stylus and a scroll or a box for scrolls.
The box is used as a door that opens a passage to other dimensions, a path for fantastic interstellar travel.
And the Egyptian queen Cleopatra kept in boxes not only her jewelry but also incense, weapons, and even poisons.
The box as a folk craft
For many centuries, the box in its design has not changed much. But the external design is striking in its diversity. Masters can make a box from any material, of different shapes and sizes – from almost a chest to a small box for one ring.
Unique exclusive boxes of many masters of fine arts have left their mark on the cultural heritage of mankind. The popularity of the box peaked in the 19th century, a time of luxury and prosperity.
Types of boxes
Even indescribably beautiful caskets are not limited to only one decorative function, they always find practical use, well, at least they preserve the history in their drawings and decorations.
The modern jewelry box is especially in demand as a place to store jewelry.
Souvenir boxes carry information about some event or historical place, museum, or city. Very beautiful and interesting boxes with music and clocks.
Thematic boxes in the form of houses, eggs, fruits, and animals of any material are available in almost any home. For example, a bonbonniere (box for sweets) or a folding box for traveling with small items.
The spacious box is very convenient to store items for needlework. In the past, needlework was revered very highly, every self-respecting girl had to be able to sew, embroider, knit, and such a box was considered a very valuable gift. Boxes with secrets have been preserved, in which needlework tools made of silver, gold, and inlaid with precious stones are laid out.
Boxes for a business person are always practical – they store writing materials, seals, and other valuables.
And even a modern safe is practically the same box with an electronic lock; you can open it, like an old box, with a key or code.