C927a148: Patch box

Oval enamelled copper patch box with brass mounts. Dark blue enamel body of ribbed bombé form. The slightly domed lid is transfer printed with an engraving of the Assembly Rooms with the inscription A Trifle from BATH / NEW ROOMS. Surrounded by a dark blue enamel border with raised white spots. A glass mirror is set inside the lid.

It was early recognised that visitors to Bath would want to buy souvenirs of their stay in the city. This patch box is one of several in the collection that bear views of celebrated architectural features in Bath. This example depicts the Assembly Rooms, also known as the New Rooms and Upper Assembly Rooms built by John Wood the Younger, 1768-71. The transfer print is derived from an engraving published by S.W. Fores in 1793 (James Lees-Milne and David Ford, Images of Bath, Richmond-upon-Thames, 1982, no. 649). Other patch boxes in the collection depict views of the Royal Crescent, the Circus, South Parade, Laura Place and Abbey Church.

They were probably made in Bilston in the so-called Black Country in South Staffordshire. The town had been a major centre for enamel 'toys' since the 1740s. A particular  speciality was small enamel boxes with inscriptions. Although these are generally known as patch boxes if there is a mirror inside, and as snuff boxes if there is no mirror, it is probable that they were principally intended as decorative objects. Boxes with views of other spas such as Malvern, Buxton, Harrogate and Cheltenham were also made.

Title of exhibition: The Beauties of Bath: the Holburne Museum Revealed
Location of exhibition: Christie's, King St, London
From: 7-1-1998
To: 3-2-1998