Horse racing theme sterling silver box

An unusual American sterling silver biscuit box of rounded oblong form with a bas-relief racing scene depicting two mounted jockeys leaping a fence. The hinged lid has a wooden finial.

In a country as large and varied as the North America, European silversmiths introduced their own styles and traditions of making silverware from their mother countries. Boston emerged as the country's pre-eminent hub of silver production and attracted many London-trained silversmiths at the end of the 19th century, with English silver trends, patterns and methods of production dominating.

New York was another prominent city for silver production and given its population's diversity, New York silverware reflected influences from English, French and Dutch styles. As silver production spread across America, giving rise to a plethora of silverware tastes and styles, the provincial cities did not create products of the same quality as in Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

Even though the American War of Independence brought silver production to a halt between 1775 to 1783, and despite its separation from the British Empire, American silversmiths continued to emulate English silver styles and tastes.

During the second half of the 19th century large silver manufacturing companies such as Tiffany and Gorham were established, displacing most of the independent silversmithing craftsmen. Tiffany was the first American company to adhere to the .925 British standard for silver purity which would ultimately become the US sterling silver standard.