Chinoiserie Boxes
CHINOISERIE STYLE
Emerging in the 17th century, chinoiserie appropriated the aesthetics and imagery of popular East Asian design for European-made versions. Reflecting the exoticization of China, Japan and other countries in this era, the word directly translates from French to “Chinese-esque,” which reveals its shortcomings as a style of furniture and decor that often stereotypically and reductively mimics Asian culture rather than showcasing and paying tribute to its artistic traditions.
The enthusiastically decorative chinoiserie style was propelled by influential tastemakers including French King Louis XIV, whose Trianon de Porcelaine in 1670 was inspired by Chinese architecture. Expanded trade between the East and West led to a demand for porcelain, lacquer objects, silk and other goods, which further informed the fanciful furniture being crafted in Europe.
Artisans working in the chinoiserie style used materials and elements like pagoda shapes, bamboo, lacquer surfaces, bird and flower motifs and other interpretations of Asian design on pieces that were frequently set against vibrant wallcoverings. This whimsical approach yielded chinoiserie furniture that boasted dramatic flourishes drawing on the natural world and reflected the dominance of Rococo during the 18th century.
As chinoiserie was shaped by approximations of Asian design by European creators, it had regional variations, such as Chinese Chippendale in England where cabinets, chairs and tea tables had wooden fretwork designs and “japanned” surfaces intended to resemble lacquer work that was created in East Asia. In North America, furniture makers in Boston and New York integrated chinoiserie-painted scenes into Queen Anne furniture.
Antique chinoiserie furniture has continued to be fashionable, from its popularity with decorators of the Hollywood Regency era — James Mont, Tommi Parzinger, William Haines and Samuel Marx favored the style — to contemporary interior designers, although it brings with it a complex history.
Find a collection of chinoiserie bedroom furniture, cabinets, decorative objects and more on 1stDibs.
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Style: Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie Decorated Wig Box
Located in Newport Beach, CA
A hand carved, hand painted and lacquered, hinged wig box with classic Chinese red painted interior. Incised brass knob and lock.
Category
19th Century French Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Oriental Carved Camphor Wood Chest
Located in Chillerton, Isle of Wight
Oriental carved camphor wood chest
This Beautiful Carved Chest is made from Camphor Wood, for those of you who do not know campho...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wood
Decorative Ceramic Chinoiserie Box with Lid and Pink and Blue Floral Motif
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A small Chinoiserie ceramic decorative box with a lid. Rectangular in shape, this box features a hand-painted floral motif on the top of the lid as w...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Ceramic, Paint
Chinoiserie Heart Shaped Box
Located in New York, NY
Heart Shaped Chinoiserie Papier-mâché Lacquer Box. Beautifully painted decorated box with gilt painting on black lacquer. This is wonderful colle...
Category
1940s Chinese Vintage Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Paste, Lacquer, Paper
Mother Of Pearl Game Pieces in Wooden Box in Chinese Style
Located in Greven, DE
Numerous finely engraved mother-of-pearl game pieces in a wooden box in Chinese style.
The game pieces are in three different shapes - oval, round and rectangular. The engravings sho...
Category
20th Century Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wood
Lacquered Wood Toilet Box, Japan, 19th Century
Located in Lisboa, PT
Lacquered wood toilet box - Japan, 19th century.
Category
19th Century Japanese Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Lacquer
Carved Wood Chinese Box, with Landscape and Characters Decor Pattern, China 20th
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
This box is in a brown color. It has been made in the 20th century, in China. It is hand carved, with character and landscapes, patterns.
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Brass
Wood Lidded Box, Hand-Painted and Lacquered, Japanese, Early 20Century
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
This box is a japanese box, early 20th century, in a red laquer, representing a bird and a flower.
This has been made in Japan.
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wood
Iradj Moini Oriental Statement Clutch, Malachite Carved Jade and Faux Diamonds
By Iradj Moini
Located in Gardena, CA
Iradj Moini Oriental Statement Clutch, Malachite Carved Jade and Faux Diamonds
A stunning Iradj Moini Oriental statement clutch. Chinoiserie style with 8 hand carved apparent jade tablets...
Category
20th Century Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Malachite
Cartier Hand Painted Enamel Porcelain Trinket Box
By Cartier
Located in Guaynabo, PR
This is a Cartier hand painted enamel porcelain oval trinket box. It depicts an East Asian landscape with a couple wearing oriental outfits in the front o...
Category
20th Century English Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Lacquer Hand-Painted Toiletry Box with Mirror
Located in Prato, Tuscany
We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects.
Valua...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wood
19th Century Hat Box
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a unusual example of a 19th century hat box in Fine Chinese coromandel lacquer. The hat box retains its original butterfly shaped chased brass lock plate. The lacquer feature...
Category
Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Brass
Collectible Coca-Cola Special Edition Asian Chinese Bottles, a Set of 5
Located in Plainview, NY
A custom made special edition Coca-Cola set of 5 miniature glass bottles. Each bottle is handprinted to portray traditional Chinese emblems such...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Glass
Chinese Wicker Capybara Animal
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Chinese wicker capybara box from the Shanghai collection with carved wood highlights and removable lid.
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wicker
Blue and Yellow Chinoiserie Tea Caddy
Located in New York, NY
Blue and yellow chinoiserie tea caddy. Charming Prattware shaped tea canister in a blue cast paste with blue, yellow and moss green decoration fe...
Category
Early 19th Century English Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Pottery
Early 19th Century Chinese Lacquer Box
Located in Pasadena, CA
This charming 19th century Chinese lacquer sewing box has seen many hands and much love having developed a deep natural patina over its 20...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Brass
18th Century George I Domed Topped Japanned Chinoiserie Falconry Box, circa 1710
Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
A rare and important Queen Anne-George I japanned chinoiserie domed topped box depicting scenes of falconry, circa 1710-1720. England
Falconry is ...
Category
Early 18th Century English Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Oak
Chinoiserie Sterling Silver Dressing Table Set, James II Style, London, 1926
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1926 by D. & J. Wellby, this striking, sterling silver dressing table set, is presented in its original box,...
Category
1920s English Vintage Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Sterling Silver
Small Oval Chinoiserie Painted Ceramic and Metal Trinket Box with Mirror Lid
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Bring a little chinoiserie to a vanity, side table, or coffee table. This pretty oval box is created from metal and has a hand painted and glazed ceramic top. The metal surrounds the...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Metal
19th Century English Chinoiserie Box with Bronze Feet
Located in Dallas, TX
Gorgeous 19th century English chinoiserie box with bronze feet. Featuring a beautiful decorative hand painted design. So pretty! Note: As is.
Category
Mid-19th Century English Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wood
18th Century Japanned Chinoiserie Dome-Topped Box, Circa 1715-1725
Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Early 18th century George I Japanned Chinoiserie dome-topped box, Circa 1715-1725. England or France.
A rare survivor from the first quarter of the ...
Category
18th Century English Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Cherry
Unique & Highly Decorative Oriental Inspired Humidor, Continental, circa 1920
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A most unique and highly decorative orientalist inspired tobacco humidor, showing a hexagonal shaped composition body similar to chalk-ware, decorated with match pockets...
Category
Early 20th Century European Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Composition
Silver Painted Wooden Pagoda Storage Box
Located in Stamford, CT
Custom silver painted wooden pagoda box. Three tiered storage compartments plus pagoda finial lid. No makers mark.
Category
Early 2000s American Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wood
Antique Korean Trunk Chest or Box circa 1920s with Luck and Longevity Characters
Located in Topeka, KS
Handsome antique Korean trunk or chest with beautiful brass details and the auspicious Chinese characters for luck and longevity carved into the f...
Category
Early 20th Century Korean Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Brass
Japanese Lacquer Writing Box
Located in Pasadena, CA
This Japanese writing box dates to circa 1950 and is detailed with a raised lacquer scene of mountains and village.
Category
20th Century Japanese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wood, Lacquer
Antique Chinese Champlevé Enamel Scarab Jewelry Box
Located in New York, NY
Finely detailed champlevé scarab shape box with gilt wash interior. Traces of antique mirror on inner top. Rich colors of blue, turquoise purple finely enameled all around box.
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Bronze
Antique Hand-Carved Chestnut Box in Asian Bamboo Style Inlaid with Soapstone
Located in Lisse, NL
Exclusive & fine quality hand-crafted Chinoiserie box.
The diversity in techniques and materials used by craftsman around the world and over the last centuries never seizes to a...
Category
Early 20th Century European Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Soapstone
French Chinoiserie Hardstone Snuff Box
Located in New Orleans, LA
A marvelously carved chinoiserie motif adorns the lid of this incredible 19th-century French tabatière or snuff box. The charming scene is intricately crafted in the form of a boating figure who holds aloft an umbrella formed of yellow gold, while the box itself is crafted from attractive brown hardstone mounted with stunning yellow gold "waves." Enchanting and beautifully executed, the rare snuff box is an incredible example of the creative artistry of these delightful boxes, as well as the highly popular chinoiserie style.
Inhaling snuff, or snuffing, as it is also called, was a popular social ritual among the European elite from the 16th through the 19th centuries. Over these 300 years, master artisans created and designed elegant snuff boxes using...
Category
19th Century French Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Stone, Gold
Woven Wicker Zebra Box
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming wicker zebra with an intricate woven construction and life like posture. This zebra functions as a basket or box, having a latch on the back with...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wicker
Two Korean Antique Dowery Boxes in Brown Rattan and Red Papier-Mâché
Located in New York, NY
Two attractive 19th century Korean dowery boxes in brown rattan and red hand-painted papier-mâché, the one slightly larger in delicately interwoven brown ...
Category
19th Century Korean Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Rattan
Pair of 19th Century American Henry Troemner Philadephia Pa Chinoiserie Tea Bins
By Henry Troemner
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a gorgeous and extremely rare pair mid-19th century, metal tea bins, by Henry Troemner of Philadelphia, PA in the chinoiserie style.
From circa 1845.
Made of black enamel...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Tin
Luscious Leather Embossed Hand-Painted Chinoiserie Box
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Wonderful Chinese box in red, gold and black having a Chinoiserie painted design on embossed leather with original brass hardware. There's a removable metal liner and the interior is...
Category
1940s Chinese Vintage Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Leather
Porcelain on Metal Fine Chinoiserie Occupied Japan Art Deco Box
Located in San Diego, CA
Porcelain on metal fine chinoiserie occupied Japan Art Deco box, beautiful and rare petite box delicate and painted with metal inserts, a couple of tiny...
Category
20th Century Japanese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Metal, Brass
Bohemian Silver-Mounted Overlay and Enameled Box, Dated 1852
Located in New York, NY
Bohemian silver-mounted overlay and enameled box, dated 1852 with chinoiserie decorations and Viennese silver.
Category
1850s Austrian Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Enamel, Silver
Papier Mâché Massive Size Fine Quality 19th Century Sewing Box or Jewelry Box
Located in Westport, CT
Papier mâché circa 1870 English inlaid lacquered sewing box/jewelry box, with many Velvet and mother-of-pearl compartments, hidden area in center. Hand-carved mother-of-pearl, inlaid...
Category
19th Century English Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Gold Leaf
Antique Chinoiserie Regency Box
Located in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
A most attractive Regency painted chinoiserie box in an unusually large size; plain painted interior.
Category
Early 19th Century English Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Wood
Chinoiserie Blue and White Divided Ceramic Decorative Box with Lid
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
An exquisite long ceramic divided box with a lid. Decorated in a blue and white glaze, this long rectangular box features a divided interior. The exterior is glazed in blue and white...
Category
20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Ceramic, Paint
Blue and White Chinese Export Tea Caddy
Located in New York, NY
Blue and white Chinese export tea caddy. Vibrant blue pagodas and chinoiserie landscapes cover the sides and end panels of this bow-top shaped...
Category
Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Porcelain
Asian Wood and Brass Jewelry Box
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An asian wood and brass jewelry box. Dark red mahogany colored wood with with brass drawer pulls and decorative accents. Two doors open to reveal thr...
Category
Late 20th Century Asian Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Brass
Chinese Mid Century Polychrome Lacquered Chest on Stand Box Trunk Side Table
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid century keepsake box, chest or side table on stand. White Lacquer with low relief painted bird motif and brass hardware. Made in Hong Kong. Measure: 23".
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinoiserie Boxes
Materials
Brass
Chinoiserie boxes for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Chinoiserie boxes for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage boxes created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, asian art and furniture, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Chinoiserie boxes made in a specific country, there are Asia, East Asia, and China pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original boxes, popular names associated with this style include Cartier, Daniel & John Welby, Henry Troemner, and Iradj Moini. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for boxes differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $189 and tops out at $22,500 while the average work can sell for $822.
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