Bone Decorative Boxes

A small oval tortoiseshell piqué patch pot, the hinged lid with a beribboned garland of flowers round a blank escutcheon, raised on four ogee feet....

Oval box in ivory decorated with guinea fowl in the reeds. Very detailed and realistic. Hand carved, highly skilled craftsmanship.

Shepherd box. Carved horn. Spain, 1822. Rectangular box made of carved horn that has a date (1822) engraved on the lid and front, a legend (Soi de Manuel Zulueta year 1822) and an...

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...

Snuffbox with music made in Switzerland in the first half of the 19th century. This rare snuffbox plays 2 melodies, on a sectional comb. The comb is thus composed of several section...

Snuffbox with music made in Switzerland in the first half of the 19th century. This rare snuffbox plays 2 melodies, on a sectional comb. The comb is thus composed of several section...

Very nice French Napoleon III "Boulle" marquetry, tortoiseshell, nacre and gilded brass decorative gloves box. Restored by a cabinetmaker.

Snuffbox with music made in Switzerland in the first half of the 19th century. This rare snuffbox plays 2 melodies, on a sectional comb. The comb is thus composed of several section...

Snuffbox with music made in Switzerland in the first half of the 19th century. This rare snuffbox plays 2 melodies, on a sectional comb. The comb is thus composed of several section...

A large Edwardian shaped rectangular silver and tortoiseshell piqué box, the hinged lid with a dainty basket suspended from a bow with long ribbons entwined with flowering tendrils, ...

Snuffbox with music made in Switzerland in the first half of the 19th century. This rare snuffbox plays 2 melodies, on a sectional comb. The comb is thus composed of several section...

Snuffbox with music made in Switzerland in the first half of the 19th century. This rare snuffbox plays 2 melodies, on a sectional comb. The comb is thus composed of several section...

19th Century Moorish Tortoiseshell and Bone Trinket Box, Lined with Blue Velvet. Ideal for jewellery or keepsakes or just as a decorative desk item.

A Rare and Important Sarcophagus ‘Wedding’ Casket Attributed to the Embriachi workshop / and the so-called: Master of the ‘Susanna Two’ Bone, Wood, P...

Mid-Century Modern Small Box with Marquetry of Wood and Bones, 1950s

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 ...

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...

A large Indian Colonial ‘Vizagapatam’ pen-engraved bone inlaid ebony box Masulipatnam or Vizagapatam, 2nd half 18th century H. 10.8 x W. 47 x D. 34 cm ...

This box is from France. It has been made in 1940, it is an art Deco Item. The box is in wood. It is a cigar box but It can be used as a docorative box...

Russian Carved bone table box Carved bone table box North of Russia, 18th century 12,5 x 23,2 x 7 cm Rectangular box with a wooden core in bone veneer...

Romanesque style chest. Wood, bone, metal. Spain Rectangular chest with a lid in the shape of a trough, decorated on the outside with rectangular pla...

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

A French Tortoiseshell and gold inlaid purse with red silk inner lining. A very pretty and unusual item, the tortoiseshell in very good condition.

Beautiful midcentury decorative trunk box made in Italy in the 1960s. This large jewellery or make-up box is covered in Horn tessellated pieces, with brass f...

Beautiful mid-century box made in Italy in the late 1970s. This chrome jewellery or make-up box features a horn veneer frame on the top. The mix of chrome and horn is really nice. A ...

Beautiful Mid-Century box made in Italy in the late 1970s. This chrome jewellery or make-up box features horn veneer stripes on the top. The mix of chrome and horn is really nice. A ...

A lovely little antique French Louis XV casket of scarlet tortoiseshell with superb ormolu mounts. Set on ormolu paw feet and with a profusion of ormolu mounts this lovely little box...

Swedish 19th century birchwood veneer jewelry box. The box has a heart of brass for keyhole and knob hardware of antler.

Carl Auböck horn and brass box, Austria 1960s.

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

Carl Auböck brush and comb in a box, Austria 1960s.

Carl Auböck brush and comb in a box, Austria, 1960s.

Set of 2 Anglo Indian boxes. Both early 20th century with bone and faux tortoise decorations. In overall good condition. The bone of the back from the larger box is absent and some s...

Late 19th century oval sewing box decorated with crowned monogram. The case contains five gold and steel sewing utensils embellished with small flowers. Labeled on the inside: AUCOC A PARIS. Weight: 27.6 g, circa 1860 Dimension: W 4.5 in, D 2.4in, H .8in. Dimension: L 11.5cm, P 6cm, H 2cm. La Maison Aucoc...

A charming mahogany tobacco box in an architecturally intriguing form. The top of the lid is adorned with a small knob of bone. Great quality and craftsmanship. Empire. Denmark, ...

A marvelous antique rustic casket. It is made of wood, veneered with antler pieces. On top an antler plaque with staghound carving. The feet are made of ...

Varnished, burl wood sewing box, decorated with Greek frieze and brass inlays. The box contains a mirror and sewing utensils made of bone and brass, as...

Along with Alfred Klitgaard Knud Albert is regarded as one of the most prolific wood artist of the 1960s. Although KA is mostly known for his strange moder...

19th century English tortoiseshell hinged box with silver decorations.

Not only Sleeping Beauty's hair has the color of ebony wood, so do a number of details of this antique spinning wheel. The well shaped lances and bu...

Sterling silver box with natural horn body. The box has been completely handmade. The hinged smooth lid, the ring and the base with feet have been shaped by hand on the shape of th...

This finely engraved and inscribed tortoiseshell music box is a precious piece of French Revolution and Napoleonic history: given as a gift by the Duchess of Gdansk in 1837 to a neph...

Small ancient box in bone, turtle and gold with mythological scene with merman on top. Rome (Italy), circa 1805. Good conditions, just a minor defect o...

Exceptionally detailed 19th century carved bone gunpowder flask Italian, 19th Century Height 36cm, diameter 11cm This unconventional gunpowder flask, created in Italy in the 19th ce...

Sterling silver box with natural horn body. The box has been completely handmade. The hinged smooth lid, the ring and the base with feet have been shaped by hand on the shape of th...

Trinket Box and Tray Set in Polished Stingray Skin Discover the exquisite set of shagreen trinket boxes with matching tray, designed to capture your fin...

Shagreen Box and Tray Set Discover the exquisite set of shagreen trinket box and matching tray, designed to capture your finest treasures in modern st...