Albert Joseph Gallery Decorative Boxes

A Qing Dynasty period red lacquered treasure chest box from the 19th century, with brass hardware. Born during the 19th century, this exquisite Qing Dynasty red lacquered treasure ch...

Beautiful handcrafted antique tinned copper decorative octagonal betel box with with lid, handle and brass latch. The metal is delicately and int...

Vintage Chinese jewelry box, chinoiserie jewelry box, made of black lacquered wood, brass details and soapstone image in relief of flower...

Beautiful MCM small brass lidded coffret style trinket box with chinoserie detail. The box depicts engraved scenes with a main motif of a sea ship on the upper lid and other scenes ...

This exquisite antique box from 19th century India is a true treasure with its rich patina and traces of green paint. The brass studs add a real touch making it a genuine statement p...

This exquisite English penwork box is a fine example of intricate craftsmanship, featuring a beautifully hand-decorated surface with elaborate chinoiserie-style motifs. Delicate gold...

A finely crafted rosewood box from the mid 19th century possibly used as a cent or ink box. The exterior features richly grained rosewood with a high polish and is accented with orna...

A scarce fine quality antique silver-inlaid solid brass betel nut box (Lutuan), dating to the second half of the 19th / early 20th century, hand-crafted in Mindanao, Philippines. Boxes such as this were used to store the areca nut (also known as the betel nut) which would be wrapped in a betel leaf with lime paste and other ingredients, often tobacco, for chewing. Similar to the European tea caddy, these boxes often served as a way to impress while showing off ones wealth. Betel chewing was prevalent in the southern Philippines as in much of the rest of Southeast Asia. Wealthier Maranao families on Mindanao were able to afford elaborate silver-inlaid brass betel boxes such as this example. Such boxes were used to show off to guests and from which they were offered betel and the other component such as leaves and lime to make up the betel quid. Rare large size, most extant examples of such boxes tend to measure around 5 inches in length. At slightly more than 7.75 inches the example here is larger than most. The distinctive decorative box features a very heavy strong-box like rectangular shaped chest form with canted corners, copper handles, and a conforming hinged lid, lifting open to reveal an interior divided into three compartments covered by four hinged lids. Each of these doors is inlaid with silver in stylized orchid flower patterns. Exceptionally executed throughout, the arabesque silver inlaid exterior is decorated to the top with a large orchid motif within scrolling obid-obid (stylized rope) borders. The front, back and sides are inlaid with sets of stylized tail feathers of the sari-manok bird beneath which are unusual, highly stylized whimsical zoomorphic faces that appear like cat or tiger faces. (Such stylisation is accounted for by Southeast Asian Islamic preferences to avoid the overt and this potentially idolatrous representation of animal and human forms. Designs such as these are drawn from a local design repertoire that has its origins in wood carving. Although the spread of Islam in the Philippines began in the 14th century, mostly through the influence of Muslim merchants from the western Malay Archipelago, decorative arts in this design remain exceptionally rare. This lutuan represents a fine example of Islamic metalwork from the most eastern outreach of Islamic art and civilisation: Mindanao island being significantly further east than even China – artwork from Islamic Southeast Asia remains chronically under-represented in the world’s major collections of Islamic art. PROVENANCE / ACQUISITION Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, established 1983, Austin, Texas. References Brownrigg, H., Betel Cutters...

Austrian oak box with brass ornamental elements, second half of the 19th century. Original used condition.

Mid century Italian ceramic box Crab design on its lid Circa 1950 Origin Italy Mid-Century Color Green and red no visible signature.

Nice Odette Dijeux mid-century decorative box, circa 1950, Belgium. White and brown enameled ceramic. Signed underneath Odette Dijeux . Each piece of this artist is unique and po...

Mid-20th century Yamanaka lacquerware sweets box for tea ceremony, Japanese. Formed as a deep black apple with gold & colored enamel decoration. Post WWII. Provenance: Sherman E. Lee...