Examples of decorated bentwood boxes can be traced to the Late Middle Ages, the style shown opposite was popular during the late 1700s and early 1800s. There were other styles, as each area developed its own designs and palette. It is generally believed that most of the decorated boxes came from central or lower Germany, the Thuringian Forest region in particular. Brides’ boxes provided families and many small communities with a means of economic support for several generations. Everyone, from grandparents to young children, were busily occupied in this enterprise, which was usually done in the main room of the home, often only by the light of the fireplace or a pine ingot, unless they were fortunate enough to have a candle for the long winters night. The artists were very proficient at making these casually stroked pieces; the strokes and calligraphic elements seemed to flow effortlessly from their handmade brushes.
Easy to transport, the finished boxes were carried by backpack or boated downriver to the nearest large city and sold by expectant merchants. Some immigrants brought their boxes to America as treasured mementos of their homeland.
