A fine and scarce Mid 19th Century Antique English Victorian Brass Coiled Wax Jack Holder or Bougie Box, the handle with fine filigree decoration, the base bearing the legend, "THE ROYAL IMPROVED SAFETY BOX FOR WAX TAPERS AND VESTA LIGHTS". Rarely encountered today, these were made to hold a coiled wax covered taper which, protruding from the hollow tube mounted on the cover would, when lit, be used to melt the wax which was then used for sealing documents and letters. The term "Bougie Box" takes it's origin, circa 1745 - 55 from the French for candle, which itself is derived from Bougie, in Arabic, Bujayah, a town in Algeria, once the centre of the wax trade. For a comparable, though less attractive example in Japanned Sheet Iron, see Caspall, "Fire and Light in the Home - Pre. 1820", Page 260, Fig. 590, A.C.C. Woodbridge, 1987.
Height ~ 10.20 cm. / 4.00 inches ~ Width ~ 6.00 cm. / 2.35 inches ~ Depth to include handle ~ 7.60 cm. / 3.00 inches ~ Year ~ Circa 1840.
