Three Silver Pumpkin Shaped Boxes

A ruyi-shaped Shakudo-style erotic tobacco or snuff box, relief-decorated with silvered applied figures Possibly Jakarta (Batavia), first half 18th century Measures: H. 2.2 x L. 12.1 x W. 8 cm This box is very much in the Dutch taste, for the illustration is after a print with a legend reading “L’oiseau sans cage. Prenez, belle, mon oiseau. C’est le plus doux présent que je puisse vous faire. Pour les autres oiseaux, la cage d’ordinaire est une espèce de tombeau. Mais le mien semble prendre une nouvelle vie, Lorsqu’il sera dans la cage de mon aimable Silvie.” The erotic message is as clear as can be. In Dutch culture the verb ‘vogelen’ (catching a bird) is another word for having sex and a bird escaping from his cage indicates loss of chastity. The lady with the bare breasts, while making the sign of sealed lips to the lady behind her, who is pointing towards heaven, seems to be caressing the bird held in the sleeping man’s groin. 17th century Dutch pictures...

A pair of very fine silver filigree rosewater sprinklers Possibly India, Karimnagar, early 18th century Measures: Height 31.6 cm and 31.7 cm,...

An Indonesian Yogya-silver plate Yogyakarta or Kotagede, 1935-1940, marked, (alloy) 800 and maker’s mark PH (Prawirohardjo, act. from 1935) Diam. 27.2 cm Weight 454 grams Th...

A pair of very fine silver filigree rosewater sprinklers Possibly India, Karimnagar, early 18th century Height 31.6 cm and 31.7 cm, weight 39...

A dutch tortoiseshell box with two engraved silver plaques Amsterdam, 1691, with maker's mark of Steven des Rousseaux (1654-1733) H. 5 cm Diam. 12.5 cm Note: Steven des ...

A splendid and heavy Dutch-colonial silver filigree salver Indonesia, Batavia (Jakarta) or possibly Padang, West Sumatra, 2nd half 17th century Diam. 22.9 cm Weight 551 grams This filigree-work was probably done by Chinese masters...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Chinese export silver box with lock; an addition to our oriental silver collection. This exceptional antique Chinese Export Silver (CES) locking box has a rectangular form. The surface of this antique box with lock is embellished with a chased decorated matte texture with a variety of embossed and chased decorated stemmed floral and foliate designs to the sides, including cherry blossom and iris arrangements. The upper surface of the cover is ornamented with an embossed and chased decorated scene depicting a grassy terrain surrounding a tree with fan shaped leaves by the side of a winding stream, with a traditional Chinese crane...

Japanese Meiji period silver box with shibuichi plaque dating circa 1900. The box of rectangular form with a silver polished case stamped Jungin (J...

A fine Korean iron box that was traditionally used to store tobacco leaves dated to the late Joseon Dynasty circa 19th century. The box is made from iron and has a heavy weight, although the wears along the edges of the lid and base exposes a bronze metal color underneath, indicating the iron metal may contains a high level of copper. The surface was beautifully decorated with elaborate silver inlay that covers the entire surface except the base. The extraordinary workmanship depicts a pair of deer within the circled square (shape of heaven and earth) and a lined background on the long sides and a crane with spread wings on the shorter sides. Both animals were associated with longevity. Their eyes were highlighted with copper inlay, adding a lively touch to the animation. The lid is centered with a Chinese character "Xi" (Paired-Hui in Korean), which means double happiness. (In Chinese culture, it is often used in a wedding ceremony). The large symbol was set on geometrical background of tightly scrolling diamond pattern surrounded by stylized Ruyi mushroom heads, another floral longevity symbol. Archaic fret cloud band borders the entire perimeters of the lid and the container. Tobacco was introduced to Korean in the first half of the 17th century and gradually gained popularity. When the tobacco was started being smoked in shredded form instead of rolled leaves, there rose the production of the smoking accessories, with some in fine quality as luxury items for the elite. The accoutrement such as this box is a fine example made in late Joseon dynasty, using extensive silver inlay, a technique called "jjoeum-ipsa", in which the silver wires were hammered into the scorched iron surface to create the elaborate design. Similar boxes with variation of shape and motifs are in the collection of several major museums. Compare the box with item Gu 754 in the National Museum of Korea; item 22.78 in MET NYC and M.240:1, 2-1926 in V& A Museum in London. The most closely related example we found is item C232 in the collection of the Museum of East Asian Art...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Chinese export silver dragon box; an addition to our collection of boxes and cases This fine antique C...

Asian decorative trinket lidded box in metal silvered hammered and etched with organic floral design. Anglo Raj style oval form betel box. Dimensio...

This is a Southeast Asian silver metal pumpkin shaped box. The ribbed areas of the silver pumpkin box is decorated with the relief of scrolls of aca...