Music Boxes

I cannot recall ever seeing any music boxes in person until the time I was helping one of my girlfriends sort through all of her recently deceased mother's things.  There was so much to go through and I just couldn't turn down her request for assistance.  Stored away in an out of the way closet, I stumbled across a small wooden box.  The finish was dull and unpolished and I honestly did not know what it was.  It was about to go into the trash pile when I noticed a little metal button.  Curiosity got the best of me.  I punched the button and up popped the lid to reveal a glass protected mechanical contraption.  I was holding in my hand the first ever of all music boxes in my life!

Taking it to my friend, we figured out how to wind it up using the turn thingy on the bottom.  It worked!  I learned that there was a story behind this music box.  My girlfriend's grandfather had brought it back from Europe when he came home from the war.  It was made in Switzerland and was a gift to his wife who then passed it on to the mother of my friend.  Boy am I glad I didn't throw this beautiful little keepsake away.

Trinket Boxes

Now, we came across a bunch of other little boxes as we sorted through these treasures.  Honestly, there seemed to be all kinds of boxes everywhere.  There were ceramic boxes, tin boxes, china boxes.  Some had clasps.  I learned that these were mostly categorized as trinket boxes.  Little boxes to hold little trinkets.  Makes sense.

I was familiar with various kinds of trinket boxes.  So, this was not new territory.  One of the trinket boxes I came across was made of tin.  It was originally a small snuff box designed to be carried in a woman's bag.  It was painted and worn with a dent in it.  I never was able to learn the story behind it.

Sitting on my dresser is one of my own little trinket boxes.  It is an exact copy of the Tiffany & Co. blue box with a white satin ribbon except mine is china.  The top comes off and it does hold my own little trinket -- a gift from my children for one of my birthdays. 

Antique Boxes

Not long ago I was browsing around in a museum in a city I was visiting.  They had a touring exhibit of antique boxes of all things.  Apparently, there are indeed collectors for these pieces and many are considered works of art.  Most of the antique boxes I saw were made of wood.  Many were intricately inlaid with exotic woods and ivory.  A few of these antique boxes were covered in jewels -- real and dazzling.

The antique boxes category is one I find very interesting.  I'm taken by the broad range of uses for these old boxes.  I've seen some antique boxes that were more like traveling desks, I guess for when the owner was riding the train so he or she could still correspond.  Then there are the hat boxes.  One that I saw was wooden for sturdy protection of the hat and it was hand painted with poppies and sported a leather carrying handle.

I do know, too, that some people are using these beautiful antique boxes in decorating their homes and office space.  Others are collectors because they like the artistry involved.

The music box lullaby - time for bed, time for sleep - by Paul Collier (07)