A new exhibition at Dublin Castle demonstrates the exquisite craftsmanship and fascinating history behind these gold and silver boxes in the 17th century
Silver box presented by Dublin Corporation to Jon Pentland in 1796. Photo: Dublin Castle
In Georgian Dublin, gold and silver boxes were aspirational objects. They were expensive to buy and exquisitely made, mostly by a handful of goldsmiths, who lived and worked around Dublin Castle. The boxes varied in shape, but most were small enough to be held in the hand or put in a pocket.
Many were corporate gifts, appropriately engraved. Between 1662 and 1830, Dublin Corporation gifted 200 boxes: half gold, and half silver.
