Tooled leather-covered box [object]

Leather-covered, chest-shaped wooden box with hinged lid. The inside is lined with printer's waste from: Gaultier de Coste La Calprenède, "Hymen's præludia", possibly the 1736 edition, which is decorated with stenciled floral patterns in black ink. The leather is probably brown roan, tooled with floral borders in black, and three aghorns gold-tooled on lid; with iron lock-plate.
The box contains 10 empty miniature book boxes, probably from the late 19th or early 20th century, with marbled boards and beige cloth spines, all with brown paper title labels, with titles and dates written in black ink. The former owner, Julia P. Wightman, made new boxes for these miniature books in her collection, but kept the empty boxes in this leather box.