Antique Black Forest Hand Carved Wooden Box

A remarkable antique food box from the Shanxi province, North China, late Ming (1368-1644) to early Qing (1644-1912) Dynasty. An extraordinar...

A charming early American farmhouse country painted pine miniature blanket chest / dowry / table box. Born in the Northeastern United State...

A scarce antique, circa 1875, English paint decorated wooden table box with warm beautifully aged patina. Hand-crafted in England in the ...

A fine quality antique Swiss Black Forest ware, born in the early 20th century, exquisitely hand carved, lacquered wooden bear figure. The except...

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...

A scarce antique Italian fall-front jewelry box with lockplate and hasp attributed to Jacopo and Lodovico del Duca. Lockplate and Hasp designed circa 1570, date of manufacture unk...

A Black Forest carved box Constructed from stained and patinated Lindenwood, the lockable box carved to resemble a tied sheaf with its ac...

19th century hand-carved black forest humidor with a figure of a dog and cat. The cat is atop a barrel, which has a lid which lifts to reveal a compartment for tobacco. The barrel is sitting on a base with hand-carved sticks and logs and an upside down hunting hat...

The Linden wood case of grand proportions has a carved realistic perched spread winged eagle with fighting stags within a wooded landscape all amongst a branched garland of oak leave...

Beautiful antique cigar box in Black Forest style. The box is made of walnut, with beautiful, refined carvings. The interior has room for 40 cigar...

A fabulous hand carved wooden postage stamp box from the Black Forest region and dating to around 1900. The sides are carved but the star of the show is the central carved owl to ...

An imposing ‘Black Forest’ wood carving of an Ibex, standing on a rocky outcrop with realistically carved ribbed antlers and rippling fur.

Beautifully designed and even better carved jewelry box. If you are looking for a special gift for yourself or a loved one then this stylish box could be just that. This antique jew...

19th century Black Forest carved box.

A 'Black Forest' Bear In naturalistically carved lindenwood, having glass eyes, head tilted aloft, prowls on all fours. From the Brienz Area. Brienz, in the Bernese Oberland, Sw...

Exceptional quality with carvings of pheasants that adorn the top of This box make it really special. Floral and foliate carvings surround the Perimeter of the box. It has the original finish with a lovely patina. It Opens easily and is lined in a red silk tufted...

Beautifully designed and even better carved jewelry box. If you are looking for a special gift for yourself or a loved one then this stylish box could be just that. This antique jew...

Excellent workmanship and very cool looking antique box. This 19th century and all handcrafted box is perfect for decorating the interior of your lodge, but also in a home environme...

We are is delighted to offer for sale this rather lovely antique original circa 1880 black forest wood jewellery box A very good looking and well made piece, it is hand carved all...

Dark walnut Black Forest hand carved box with floral spray to top.

This antique hand carved Black Forest jewelry or trinket box is unsigned but presumed to have been made in either Germany or Switzerland in circa 1920 in the signature Black Forest s...

Antique Black Forest style oak wood carved trinket box or bucket in a shape of an owl, from circa 1920. An impressive, large, and beautiful German Black Forest style hand-carved wooden trinket box...