A c. 1660-80 Dutch enameled silver spice box, suspended from a ring-bail and chains of yellow gold, and decorated with floral sprays framing a merrymaking couple enjoying wine and music. Late Baroque enameled or engraved silver miniature boxes have variously been identified as pomanders and snuff or spice boxes, with most measuring between 30-50 mm in size. The functionality of the present example is however particularly informed by this detail: its side features a star shaped opening; when the punched inner lid is rotated to match that opening, contents stored within can be shaken out in small amounts, rendering it a sealable and portable version of the modern condiment shaker. Snuff boxes from the same period typically feature a hinged lid, as takers needed to maintain a free hand to scoop out the desired amount (typically done with a small spoon).  For much of European history, spices like cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, nutmeg, clove, and turmeric were highly desired luxury commodities, their scarcity and expense the result of the arduous trade spanning Asia to Europe. Beyond culinary applications—which only the wealthy could afford—spices enjoyed all sorts of mystique and lore in the European imagination (due to their exotic and at times misunderstood origins), and were carried around for their medicinal and aromatic properties. As a result, small ‘objets de vertu’ containers were made to hold and conspicuously display the luxury consumption of spices. In form and design, the present box is related to British Museum 1978,1002.230, Welcome Collection London A641798, and State Historical Museum Moscow ОК 13377. As a group, these boxes feature solid silver bodies with enameled lids enclosed within toothed bezels, a representative setting style for 17th century silver decorative objects. The profusely floral theme is reflective of the flower mania that gripped Baroque-era society and culture. Dutch command of maritime trade throughout the 17th century had not only imported tulips from Turkey (thus initiating the tulipmania of 1630-7), but seizure of Portuguese trade ports throughout Southeast Asia had established a Dutch monopoly over the spice trade, bringing to Europe commodities like clove and nutmeg from the Banda islands of Indonesia. Robust commercial success had won Dutch citizens a remarkable living standard during the 17th century, reflected by the rendered couple “enjoying the good life” on the present box. The woman’s curled ringlets and dress with a draped square bodice can be attributed to the 1660s decade (see portrait of Lady Fisher, c. 1660, National Portrait Gallery NPG 1798).