Box in book form, inlaid and carved specimen wood box with hidden locking device in spine

Book box with elaborate veneer and carved decoration with nailed construction. The front cover is a sliding lid, the lock for which is controlled by a hidden sliding dovetail, activated by pushing the upper solid maple band in the spine backward. Once unlocked, the cover will slide open in an upward direction. Both covers are decorated with applied low-relief carved panels with motifs from nature. Central panels consist of octagonal roundels assembled from geometrically cut veneers. The sides of the book are decorated with veneered diaper patterns in various woods, while the geometric decoration of the spine was executed in solid wood. The interior of the box is lined with printed velvet. Wood types include cherry, walnut, maple, oak, and mahogany (primary woods, among others; soft pine (secondary).-- description by Mindell Dubansky in consultation with Marijn Manuels