George III Knife Box

Artisan: Geoff Wonnacott
Date: 2023
Dimensions: 32 x 20 x 16 mm. / 1 ¼ x ¾ x ⅝ inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2023.002
Intended Room: Dining Room
Category: Furniture

Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist as part of the Kensington Dolls’ House Festival Online Showcase in September 2023.

This is a piece I’ve been craving ever since I first discovered miniatures. Geoff Wonnacott, who rather wonderfully describes himself as a ‘miniature cabinetmaker’, is one of the most celebrated living artisans. Although his larger pieces are beyond our price range, this knife box has been on my radar since the very beginning. I’ve been very well-behaved this past year – funnelling spare money into furnishing our actual new house rather than a presently non-existent miniature one – but I decided to take the plunge during the September 2023 Online Showcase run by the team behind the Kensington Dollshouse Festival. This may or may not have been sparked by admiring a full-size Georgian knife box at a National Trust property over the summer.