ANTIQUE REPOUSSE BRASS BOUGIE BOX. TRAVELING CANDLE HOLDER OR WAX JACK. This item is approximately 250 years old! It is known by several names, including bougie box, wax jack, and traveling candle holder. Bougie (boo-‘zhay) is French for candle. The bougie box originated in Europe sometime in the 1700s and was used for lighting. A long, thin, coiled wax taper was placed in the cylinder and was pushed through the hole in the lid for burning. The two smaller holes on each side of the lid do not go all the way through. We were unable to determine the purpose of these smaller holes. This bougie box is made of brass and is an original from the 18th century. It measures about 3-3/8″ tall with a bottom diameter of about 2-7/8″. The brass appears to be intact with no holes or tears. There is a leaf & swan decoration applied between the base and cylinder that appears to be missing a piece of the leaf (see closeup photo). The cylinder does lean to one side due to some denting on the base. The rims around the lid and the cylinder are dented also (see photos). To USA destinations only. We describe our items as accurately as possible and provide numerous photos. We insure all our packages. If an item arrives in a damaged condition, you may return it to the U.