A. Hepplewhite & Co. illustrated related designs for telescopic 'Vase knife-cases' in their The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide, London, 3rd ed., 1794, plate 39. In the accompanying text they state that they 'may be placed at each end on the sideboards, or on a pedestal; the knives, &c. fall into the body of the vase, the top of which is kept up by a small spring which is fixed to the stem which supports the top'.
Two similar pairs of cuttlery-urns were sold anonymously, in these Rooms, 6 June 1996, lots 11 and 12.