There's no denying it. The British are serious about their tea.

As demand for tea soared in the 19th century, so too did the demand for commercially produced biscuits to serve along with a cup of tea. Since biscuits were fragile by nature, a tin provided a modicum of protection, with the added benefit of being airtight, keeping biscuits fresher for longer. A simple biscuit tin, however, was not suitable for presentation at the tea table, and thus, the decorative biscuit barrel was born.

At your service, an exquisite Antique Biscuit Box found at market in the north of England. With its silverplate body embellished with delicately engraved fern fronds, along with other florals and leaves, it beautifully captures the "fern madness" that had swept across Victorian England. The lush aesthetic of the engraved box is complemented by its gleaming silverplate hinged lid.

Expertly crafted, this exceptional biscuit box is sure to take pride of place at your table at tea time and be a glistening addition to your collection.

Strictly one-of-a-kind and subject to prior sale. In very good antique condition. 8.75" D x 7"H

Learn More About Pteridomania

A great Victorian craze, pteridomania (from the Latin pterido, meaning ferns) was Britain’s passionate love affair with ferns and all things fern-like between the 1840s and 1890s. The term pteridomania was coined in 1855 by Charles Kingsley, author of The Water-Babies, in his book Glaucus, or the Wonders of the Shore.

The Victorian era was the heyday of the amateur naturalist. While pteridomania is generally considered a British eccentricity, fern madness invaded all aspects of Victorian life. Ferns and fern motifs appeared everywhere—in homes, gardens, art, and literature. Their images adorned rugs, tea sets, chamber pots, garden benches—even custard cream biscuits.

Originally marketed in the 1830s as plants that appealed only to “intelligent people,” ferns soon became a nationwide phenomenon. To collect ferns—the more exotic, the better—you needed a fernery, often a glasshouse where the ferns could be cultivated and displayed.