Bone Decorative Boxes

A stylish antique Art Deco English tortoise shell and mother of pearl tessellated box with a hinged lid and brass interior, circa 1920. A fabulous accent piece for any room! Dimens...

A rare and exceptional Baroque period Flemish or Dutch red tortoiseshell, bone, horn, ebony, and rosewood lift-top chest with drawer, circa 1725, mounted on a later stand. 17th/18...

Antique 19th century Napoleon III era French Marquetry Boulle box. Red and black tortoiseshell with foliate brass inlay. Decoration on top includes the monogram LS. Rectangular form ...

A rare and exquisite circa 1780 English, possibly Irish, George III period bottle caddy or tabletop cellarette in the form of a two-storey ashlar Palladian mansion house, the boxwood...

Nicely carved Inro with birds and flowers. Quality craftsmanship. Hand-carved pierced sides and top. Opens into two pieces, held together with a rust-red s...

Architectural Model Box of the Alhambra Palace, with Key Handcrafted in Granada, Spain, Circa 1960s A stunning architectural model box that showcases the ...

An Anglo Indian bone, ebony and metal inlaid sadeli work box with portable writing desk, Bombay, circa 1850. The sandalwood body of faceted recta...

A fabulous tortoise shell box, beautifully molded so that the lid is sculpted into its distinctive domed form rather than flat. The rich tortoise patterning has wonderful depth and w...

This is a remarkable 19th century, Japanese lacquered sewing box with multiple compartments on the interior. The exterior is decorated in elaborate black and gilded motifs including...

Elegant, exotic, and unmistakably refined, shagreen has long captivated those with a discerning eye for luxury. A study in subtle opulence, this artisan-crafted decorative box is wr...

Charming petite antique Anglo Indian lidded box handcrafted in indigenous hardwoods clad in tortoise shell and decorated with elaborate lacy bone designs, featuring an etched and pai...

Gabriella Crespi tortoise and sterling silver box. Vintage Crespi cylindrical cigarette case with engraved Gabriella Crespi logo monogram and original ...

Antique 1940s Mosaic Shell Inlaid Decorative Middle Eastern Islamic Box. Mosaic Luxury Decorative Middle Eastern Islamic Vanity Box. Middle Eastern Asian Mosaic Wood Box with Inlays ...

1950s Anglo Indian Micro Sadeli Mosaic Inlaid Jewelry Box. DIMENSIONS: 7ʺW × 7ʺD × 2.5ʺH. Indo Persian Moorish style micro mosaic inlaid jewelry box with lid. Intricate inlaid Anglo ...

19th century English dresser box made from exquisitely grained rosewood. The box has wonderfully inlaid patterns on the top and front in...

A decorative handmade orange bone and black tribal design chest or jewelry box. The chest interior is leather and features gorgeous brass inlay design with natural decorative stones.

Elegant, exotic, and unmistakably refined, shagreen has long captivated those with a discerning eye for luxury. Derived from stingray skin, this richly textured material first appear...

Large 19th Century Tortoiseshell Sewing Box

Modernist graphic patterned blue and white bone box with hand incised horn tiles. Wood interior.

Austrian Tortoise shell Silver box Austrian Tortoise shell Silver box in the shape of an envelope with a flap. The flap is with a spring. The box is marked with the Austrian Silve...

Impressive antique Anglo Indian lap top desk crafted in quills and ebony decorated with bone dots. The surprising interior has multiple components featuring a felt writing surface, n...

Presenting an absolutely stunning 19c Anglo Ceylonese sewing box of museum quality. Made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) circa 1860, this is one of the finest sewing boxes of it’s kind that we have ever seen! The box is made from coromandel wood (an exotic hardwood found in Ceylon) and has a serpentine edging all over the front, back and sides. Very often the lids/tops of these boxes suffer cracks due to shrinkage but this one is near perfect with no crack in the lid/top. There is some evidence of natural shrinkage but that is around the edges of the lid/top. It is when you open this box that it reveals it’s true beauty, quality and treasure ! The inside of the lid/top is heavily and beautifully decorated with inlaid bone in scrolling floral patterns which have then been hand painted with red and black ‘lac’ ink. The central medallion is a circle of inlaid specimen exotic hardwoods radiating towards a central bone and hand painted flower. The circle is edged in bone, wood and silver chevrons. What makes this box Exceptionally rare is that it contains 3 lift out base sections. Normally, there would be a maximum of 2. The first tray/section is clearly for the purposes ancillary to sewing with a pair of sections with bone spools for thread etc. There are 17 other lidded compartments with each one highly decorated using hand painted bone and specimen woods to replicate tortoiseshell. The first tray lifts out to reveal a second removeable tray which is made up of a pair of open sections and 8 specimen wood lidded sections each with chevron banding. The third tray is a smaller tray underneath with 14 lidded compartments each with hand painted bone and specimen wood inlaid lids again, replicating the look of tortoiseshell. Again they are banded with a chevron border. This is a museum quality piece ! It is in fantastic condition for it’s age with the minor shrinkage to the edges of the lid/top, some finger pulls missing and some very minor cracks to the tray lids and bases but nothing that in any way detracts from the piece. No key. Dimensions: Closed the box is 16.75 inches wide, 11.25 inches deep and 7.5 inches high Fully open the box is 16.5 inches high, 16.75 inches wide and 11.4 inches deep Anglo-Indian and ceylonese boxes: Anglo Indian boxes were made in India for the English residents from the early part of the 18th century. They were brought back or sent back to England usually by the people who had commissioned them. From the beginning of the nineteenth century they were imported more commercially, although not in any significant numbers until the middle decades. They were very highly valued, especially the early ones, to the extent that the designs were copied on late 19th and early 20th century tins. Anglo-Indian boxes normally consist of 3 main types:- (1) Most of the best and highest quality Anglo-Indian boxes in the 18th and 19th centuries were made in Vizagapatam, India, renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship in using ivory and tortoiseshell and lac decoration. These are referred to as ‘Vizagapatam Boxes...

Ivory and blue chevron decorative trinket rectangular lidded box inlaid with white bone and resin on wood. Large stylish Moorish trinket lidded box with bone and wood inlaid handcraf...

Impressive Anglo Indian British colonial style lidded box crafted in mahogany and decorated with bone faux quills and dots having two working keys.

19th century walnut box with bone and mother of pearl inlay, whaler made. This beautifully hand crafted box would have been made during the long voyage of a whaling ship. The star in...

Here we have an impressive antique Regency (1811-1820) Mahogany & Rosewood Brass inlaid campaign writing slope box with a side drawer and multiple hidden internal compartments and dr...

This is a very stylish tessellated pen shell, bone and wood box most likely by Maitland Smith and made in the Philippines. This long, slender beauty measures 15 1/2" x 7 1/2" x 2.75"...

A richly decorated early 19th century Chinese export sewing or work box in black lacquer, detailed throughout with intricate gilt landscapes and figures. The interior retains a full ...

Antique 19th century Anglo-Indian jewelry, trinket footed box, inlay with ebony, mosaic marquetry Sadeli work and a carved Hindu scene on top. The box case is made from sandalwood wi...

This elegant decorative box showcases a striking geometric mosaic design crafted from natural horn, creating a sophisticated Art Deco meets Modernist aesthetic. The box features a se...

Spanish, 18th century or earlier. An 18th century Spanish bargueno or vargueno traveling desk, used for storing documents, jewels, or sewing box. The six drawer chest is inset with ...

Elegant, exotic, and unmistakably refined, shagreen has long captivated those with a discerning eye for luxury. Derived from stingray skin, this richly textured material first appea...

Tessellated horn jewelry box by Maitland-Smith.

Anglo Indian rectangular porcupine quill, bone and parquetry box. The box with a hinged lid that opens to reveal embossed red velvet lining and a decorated wood panel...

A horn for carrying gunpowder having engravings of two decorative trees, one decidious and one evergreen, each in a container, finely done, and also the initals MP. Retaining orig...

Exquisite 17th century Spanish Colonial tortoiseshell box, beautifully decorated with intricate silver piqué inlay in a repeating design across the surface. The craftsmanship is exce...

VERY DECORATIVE VIZAGAPATAM BOX Vizagapatam, India, 19th Century. Rustic workmanship will only add to the decorative appeal of this Anglo-Indian footed domed casket in ebonized woo...

English tortoiseshell box. Ovoid shaped lidded snuffbox with integral handle of richly patterned tortoiseshell, England, circa 1900. Dimensions: 3.5...

Textural keepsake box clad in heat set pyrimidial horn elements. A great addition to any desk or coffee table.

Elevate your decor with this Vintage Boho Tessellated Horn Tissue Box Cover, a luxurious accessory that combines natural beauty with artisanal craftsmanship. Crafted from intricately...

Antique handcrafted Moroccan jewelry wooden box with camel bone inlay trunk. A large early 20th century decorative Moroccan camel bone casket with bra...

A fine antique 19th-Century British Colonial porcupine quill and ebony box, made in Ceylon the colonial name for Sri Lanka. This fine hand crafted box has a sliding lid and is decora...

A beautiful Singing bird box by bontems of Paris, Circa 1900. Tortoisesheel embellished with sterling silver, with silver and enamel lid.

Hand made dimensional bone box with hand set black centers. Rectangular pieces form a dimensional facade, lined in wood. A great addition to any coffee table to store remote controls...

Decorative Mughal Raj Vizagapatam Carved Veneered Bone Jewelry Rectangular shape Box. Vintage Asian lidded box crafted with bone finely engraved and hand painted in black with geometric Moorish designs. Delightful Anglo Indian footed box crafted with an intricate patterned polished bone inlay mosaic over a wood frame. Handmade in Vizagapatam, India, mid 20th century. Elegant intricate pattern. A true work of Islamic artwork...

A fine quality antique Regency period Chinese Export Lacquer Work Sewing Box, Circa 1820. The box having a hinged lid that is sumptuously decorated with a gilded design of Imperial...

Impressive antique Anglo Indian box crafted in mahogany, clad in tortoise shell, and ambitiously decorated with bone. The inside has a mirror and red felt lining.

A very charming Swedish Snuff Box made in Cow Horn during the 19th century. Wear consistent with age and use.

A fine Regency period tortoiseshell box, accented with sterling silver and ivory details. This is a very early and elegant example, showcasing the refined craftsmanship and materials...

This extremely rare, early Swiss automaton singing bird box by the famed Charles Bruguier is housed in a case enveloped in luxurious tortoiseshell. Ev...

Natural horn tiled wood box featuring a convex oval center. Tiles are steam and heat pressed and assembled by hand.

Rectangular Art Deco bone trimmed amboyna burl cigarette box, Trimmed in bone on all edges as well as the surfaces of the opening the amboyna extends to all sides including the botto...

Eyecatching textural large scale keepsake, document box clad in heat set black buffalo tiles which feature a raised oval center.

A very attractive vintage inlaid rosewood Indian jewelry box. The hinged box made is from solid figured rosewood and finely and is sumptuously inla...

Antique Powder Flask Made of Horn with Decorations, Germany 19th Century This beautiful powder flask, crafted from natural horn, features numero...

Art Deco shagreen covered rectangular wooden box in pale grey, veneered on all exterior surfaces including the bottom.

Keepsake /Jewelry box featuring heat set molded natural horn elements.

Chest, box forming a cabinet, Orientalist art, 19th century, Napoleon III period. A 19th century Napoleon III period wood and bone marquetry cabinet box, Orientalist. H: 24cm, W: 31...

Decorative trinket keepsake box adorned with convex black buffalo heat set tiles. A great addition to any desk or coffee table.

Embriachi workshop marquetry casket Northern Italy, 15th century Alla certosina inlays (bone, stained bone, pewter and wood) H 28.2 x W 18 x D 14 cm This beautiful casket of rectangular form is richly decorated with the characteristic geometric patterns of the Embriachi style. The intricate geometric patterns are fashioned by juxtaposing lighter and darker pieces of wood, (colored) bone, horn and pewter. The lid and base are framed by a broad band of horn. When ivory became scarce in Europe due to disrupted trade routes, bone was substituted. The attention to Symmetry and balance created an harmonious visual effect Enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of the casket. The application of geometrical motifs is in Italy known as marquetry ‘alla Certosina’, named after the Certosina Church in Pavia with its famous altarpiece decorated in this way. This is ‘intarsia technique’, a term derived from the Arabic 'tarsi', which means ‘incrustation' recalling ancient mosaics made from various materials. These geometric elements not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of the caskets but also demonstrate the versatility and skill of the artisans in creating multifaceted works of art. ‘Alla Certosina’ became famous through the Northern Italian Embriachi family who achieved a particularly high standard in working in this technique. Venice in particular was known for the production of these luxurious boxes. The caskets, hexagonal or rectangular, surmounted by a lid decorated in several registers constitute the secular, albeit equally renowned component of the workshop’s production, in addition to mirror frames and various everyday objects. The method of fabrication of those objects was based on two concepts that underlay pre-industrial production: standardization and modularity, thanks to a distribution of skills according to the different phases of fabrication. even the realization of the marquetry motifs (in the form of ingots from which portions of the desired size were cut) were therefore entrusted to various specialized craftsmen, as were the assembly phase. Today better known thanks to the extensive research work recently carried out by Michele Tomasi, this workshop owes its name to its founder and owner, the Florentine Baldassare Ubriachi (or degli Embriachi), a merchant and banker established in the Tuscan capital before he settled in Venice in 1395. Together with sculptor Giovanni di Jacopo, who directed the workshop, from the last years of the fourteenth century, Baldassare oversaw a production that was truly original, and still easily recognizable today, comprising monumental altarpieces and various objects, primarily triptychs and caskets. The precise location of the workshop is unknown, except that it originated in Florence and in ca. 1431 there was apparently a workshop in Venice, in the area of S Luca. They employed local workers specializing in 'certosina' (inlay of stained woods, bone and horn), and the workshop produced items carved in bone (usually horse or ox) with wood and bone marquetry. The geometric decoration of Embriachi caskets reflects the artistic complexity and attention to detail that characterized their work. this inlaid casket is a testament to the skill and artistry of the Embriachi family and serves as a stunning example of the decorative arts of the late Middle Ages. Related Literature : E. Berger, Prunk-Kassetten: Europäischen Meisterwerke aus acht Jahrhunderten / Ornamental Caskets...