Bone Decorative Boxes

A very wonderful and most attractive Anglo-Indian 19th century black patinated, Bone and Oak box. This unique rectangular box made of veneered blocks of Bone is supported on four squ...

Steam pressed decorative, dimensional horn tiled keepsake/desk box - a great addition to any dresser or book shelf.

An antique Russian sewing box made of bone, dated 1828 on the lid. Decorated with an etched trailing foliage pattern and topped with original green pin cushion. Lined with original g...

This exquisite Maitland Smith box showcases a striking bone inlaid design on rich satinwood, with meticulously carved out square patterns that create a visually dynamic effect. Craft...

A circa 1930's English engraved bone box with landscapes. Measurements: Height: 6" Width: 12.5" Depth: 8.5"

Tortoise shell decorative box with bun feet. We have other tortoise boxes similar in form that would be a lovely collection. Feel free to call or email with questions. Priced per b...

Standout exotic Anglo Indian lidded box handcrafted in mahogany and clad in tortoise shell with applied lacy bone designs inscribed and painted with flowers. The interior has a mirro...

English Georgian Tortoise shell hinged sewing box with a gadrooned molded edge lid, fitted tufted interior, and resting on the original silver plate winged paw feet. Early 19th Century

Fabulous Indian box made of bone and pierced brass with a wood bottom.A very nice design. Turn of the century, India.

PRESENTING A GORGEOUS 19C Anglo Indian Highly Carved Sadeli Mosaic Sarcophagus Sewing Box. Made in Bombay, India circa 1860-80. Box made of sandalwood with highly carved teak wood reliefs and panels on all sides. Edged with bone and ebony veneers and glorious sadeli mosaic, made from tiny pieces of faux ivory, pewter, green semi-precious stone. The box is in a sarcophagus form with domed lid. The original brass carry handles are on the sides. The interior is in great condition and consists of a removeable mirror under the lid portion, with the original red velvet lining behind it. The base is removeable and contains a number of lidded compartments. 6 of the interior lids on the base, are each inlaid with sadeli mosaic banding. The rest are also carved and chased. The interior is fully complete with 7 lidded faux ivory/bone, thread canisters with sadeli domes and the original bone thimble. The box sits on 4 brass ball or bun feet with the original velvet lining on the base. Some minor repairs and losses, but this box is fully complete. This is ‘rare’ as many of these boxes have not survived in such condition! Included in the sale are 2 photos that were in the box (under the base tray). Interestingly, one of them is a view of downtown Nassau, New Providence (Bermuda) from the early 20C and stamped on the rear. What a ‘journey’ this piece has made! Made in India … travelled to Bermuda, probably via Britain … back to Ireland (where we bought it) …. then to Texas! These boxes were made by superb Indian craftsmen, specifically for sale to the ruling British elite. These types of boxes, carved padouk and sandalwood, (whilst beautiful and superbly crafted) were of a lesser quality, than the more profusely and intricately mosaic inlay, tortoiseshell and ivory boxes, made for the British ‘Upper Classes’ in the areas of Bombay and Vizagapatam. These type of boxes were much more affordable back in 1880 (and indeed today) and would probably have been bought by mid-level diplomats, civil servants or visitors. Sewing boxes (in general), were in EVERY Victorian home in Britain in the 19th Century and like other boxes etc were ‘status symbols’ of your place in society! The more ornate the box, the more ‘Upper Class’ you were! Of it’s type, this one, is one of the very higher quality one’s, than the norm! SADELI MOSAIC: “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. The ancient art of Sadeli Mosaic is said to have been introduced from Shiraz in Persia via Sind to Bombay, a long time before the Anglo Indian boxes were made. It was a technique, which required a high degree of skill and patience. It was executed very lavishly, in that the frequent cuts wasted a great amount of the precious materials used. The workmanship was however more than commensurable to the value of the materials. Ivory, silver, pewter (or other metals), wood and horn were cut into faceted rods which were bound together to form geometric patterns. When the glue has set, the rods were sliced in transverse sections. This gave the maker a number of angled circular pieces in the original pattern. Several variations of patterns could be achieved by combining the materials in different ways. The ivory was sometimes dyed green to give an extra color. The mosaic pieces in a combination of patterns, often separated by ivory, ebony, horn or silver stringing were used to veneer sandalwood boxes. In the early boxes, which date from the turn of the 18th to the 19th century, there are large panels of mosaic covering tops and sides of boxes. It took incredible skill to cover such large areas without any shakes or wavering of the pattern. The corners and joins on these boxes are impeccably matched. The makers (reputed to be Persian) of Sadeli mosaic made in the first two decades of the 19th century displayed a total understanding of the qualities of the different materials they used. They combined substances, which can expand and contract according to atmospheric conditions with others, which are hard and unyielding. The result was a sharp definition of the lines and patterns, which made up the whole design. On the early boxes the designs look deceptively simple. The fact is, they emerged from a culture, which had mastered geometry and understood how to generate a pattern from a set number of points. The patterns are so harmoniously combined that their incredible complexity is not immediately apparent. The earliest Sadeli boxes...

Mexican cabinet. Made of tortoiseshell, pen-engraved and wood. Possible Oaxaca or Puebla, 17th century.

Large 19th Century Tortoiseshell Sewing Box

A high quality and most elegant French 19th century Louis XV st. Ormolu and Tortoiseshell box. This truly stunning rectangular box is raised on four scrolling Ormolu acanthus leaf le...

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...

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

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...

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...

This wonderful example of a 19th century tortoise shell sewing box on stand opens to original fabric lined interior of compartments with a central ...

This striking vintage octagonal box features an exquisite tessellated bone inlay design, exuding a chic bohemian aesthetic with a touch of global influence. The alternating black and...

This is a salesman sample of a Demilune English chest. It has four doors with an ivory bar handle. It is all inlaid around the top and the bottom. It sits on four legs. Circa 1800s.

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 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, ...

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 ...

Striking pair of tessellated bone decorative boxes having wonderful unusual shape, black ink embellishments with birds and foliage against creamy beige and white background. Lids co...

This is a finely hand-painted West Asian miniature artwork on a ceramic/porcelain box, probably made of leg plates, framed, and painted. The work features an extremely fine painting ...

Nice condition for its age. Does not have key. Has original sewing box utensils inside - spools, etc.

Galle district, 18th century The box is made of amboyna burr with inlays of ebony, bone and burr wood and has several interior compartments, all made with the utmost attention to de...

19th century Georgian box in an octagonal form, featuring delicate penwork decoration on the lid with a central portrait medallion and floral motifs. The interior is fitted with a re...

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...

Faux tortoiseshell Cabinet with top and sides decorated with inlays of bone and different kinds of wood, creating geometric figures. The front is made up of 6 drawers framed by strip...

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 ...

Spanish Colonial inlaid bone and faux tortoiseshell domed top box. Original hammered iron hinges. Circa 1680-1740. Excellent condition and very rare.

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...

A round wooden box from India. Might be some type of exotic rosewood. Circa 1920s, maybe a little earlier. Box with six ivory dots on lid, ivory feet and finial.

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...

An anglo Indian workbox made of ebony. The tray lifts up from the box on the lid which is also inlaid in ivory and ebony and has a bone round disc that is signed New Bedford 1810. Th...

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...

A Maitland Smith mid century box made of bone with a pearwood interior. American, circa 1970s.

Presenting an absolutely fantastic 19C Anglo Ceylonese lap desk of museum quality. We can safely say that this is one of the finest lap desks we hav...

A strikingly beautiful French dore bronze box is all engraved with an ivory picture of an aristocrat, LeBron. The box is heavily chased with a velvet i...

Great condition for its age. No major losses or damage. Has original sewing pieces inside.

A wonderful and most charming Anglo-Indian 19th century black patinated, Bone and Oak box. This lovely rectangular box is supported on four squared feet in each corner. The front sid...

This eye-catching tissue box holder captures the elegance of restrained lines merging it with plush materials. Its prized structure in wood and horn ...

Handsome authentic horn box with brass inlay and ball feet with coloration like tortoise shell.

Indian "Bombay" dresser/jewelry box with a mirror in the lid and raised on a "tray" base with silvered feet. The exterior with exotic wood and sadeli work (micro-mosaic inlay) framin...

Late 19th / early 20th Century Italian trinket/dresser box. Box features embossed brass frame with tortoiseshell panels. Hinged lid with inset outdoor...

English black lacquered and gilt stenciled figural pagoda hinged tea box with exterior gilt stenciled dragon motif, original interior pewter hand chased figural container with bone k...

Vizagapatam box, India, 19th century. This highly decorative and unusual Anglo-Indian table box features rustic workmanship that adds to the character and charm of this unique Sout...

Intricately carved inro in the form of a woven basket. Quality craftsmanship. Opens into two pieces, held together with a rust-red silk string. Made of nat...

An 18th century mother of pearl and tortoiseshell inlaid ottoman scribes box. The box covered in geometric tiles and floral design.

Handmade keepsake box comprised of dyed blue bone segments inlaid with brass stripe details. A great addition to any coffee table or desk.

Dimensions: 12.25W x 8.25D x 7.75H, In great condition.  

Art Deco Burled Walnut glove box of rectangular form with bone edges and slightly domed top. Relined.

Contemporary Indian lidded bone box with intricate raised geometric pyramid design. Added texture by etching the bone pieces. Black, ivory and tan. Wood lined interior. Part of a lar...

Contemporary Indian rectangular shaped bone box with attached lid. Decorative diagonally shaped ribbed design. Nob at opening. Part of a large collection.

Japanese a pair of finely carved cuff links with opposing faces Dimension: Size: 3cm Condition: Excellent Condition, no damage.

English Georgian Chinroserie bow front tortoise shell tea caddy with a hinged tiered lid, Chinese landscape mother of pearl inlays with flanking pagodas, fences, & foliage trees, central paktong plaque and escutcheon, bone fitted interior border with two lidded tortoiseshell foil lined compartments, and resting on the original four bone ball...

Capricia Box III by Arcahorn Dimensions: D 13 x W 22 x H 12 cm Materials: Leather, wood, horn. Box in Aida pebbled leather, Onyx color with handmade ivory stitching. Lid in matte Am...

An elegant modern style tessellated bone trinket box with black felt-lined interior. Mostly cream in color, but does have hints of light pink througho...

This exquisite 19th-century Danish tea caddy, dating to circa 1860, showcases exceptional craftsmanship with its striking rosewood construction and elaborat...