An Extremely Rare and Fine Silver Hornbook, England or Netherlands, 17th Century 12 x 6.7 cm Elegantly incised silver with its original printed lesson sheet mounted on wood containing the alphabet vowels beneath a covering of transparent horn. Finley engraved silver back and handle with eagle (?) among blooming foliage. Provenance: Estate of Isidor Kaiser, Copenhagen-Hamburg. Literature: History of Horn Book , Andrew W. Tuer , F.S.A 1897 "At one time there must have been many horn-books mounted in silver, but nearly all have been broken up for the sake of the metal. The result is that silver horn? books are exceedingly scarce. The reader will have noted the fine example with a pedigree described in chapter iv. It is obvious that as days passed the silver case would sometimes be turned to other uses..." It is obvious that as days passed the silver case would sometimes be turned to other uses; the printed sheet and wooden backing would be removed, and perhaps a mirror substituted, or with very little trouble the case could be so altered as to admit of a card being thrust in from the top. Lieut.- Colonel Lambert, who has made of old silver a lifelong study, tells me he has seen what once must have been silver horn-books used as menu-holders, and a friend of the writer has a couple of such cases sold to him many years ago for this purpose..." Notes: For very close examples: Christies, 27 June - 28 2006, lot 306A; Sotheby's, 2 December 2014, lot 216.