Dental instrument set, England, 1601-1700

Dental instrument set, 5 instruments remain and 2 bottles, in chest covered with bullion embroidery showing arms of Bacon of Redgrave, 17th century

These dental instruments include these four silver descalers used to remove plaque and other tooth deposits. The ornate chest may also have been used to carry medicines or articles for personal hygiene.

This chest was made for one of the descendants of Sir Nicholas Bacon (d. 1624) of Redgrave, Suffolk, who was descended from an earlier Sir Nicholas Bacon (1509-79), Lord Keeper of the Great Seal. The chest is embroidered with the Bacon coat of arms. The handles of the instruments and the tops of the bottles are decorated with boars or pigs, a pun on the family name.