Mongolian Yak Butter Container, c. 1900

Nice wooden and mother-of-pearl box from the 1900s. The mother-of-pearl inlays form plant motifs (flowers and foliage), incised to give volume to the different parts. It closes with ...

An Indian rustic wooden box from the 19th century, with nicely weathered appearance, iron details and incised motifs. Created in India during the 1...

A Chinese antique rattan lunch basket from the early 20th century, with bamboo tripartite handle. Created in China during the early years of the 20th century, this lunch box captures...

A vintage Chinese rattan hat box with weathered patina and oxidized accents. This vintage Chinese rattan hat box exudes a rustic charm with its ...

An antique Chinese wooden cash box from the early 20th century, with chain and partially removable top. Charming our eyes with its rustic presence and nicely weathered appearance, th...

A rustic Indian antique wooden treasure box from the 19th century, with iron braces, carved rosettes and petite feet. Created in India duri...

An antique rustic Chinese wooden document box with brass stud design. This antique Chinese wooden document box, embellished with a brass stud design, radiates rustic charm and carrie...

Fine antique Anglo-Indian hand carved wooden jewelry box inlaid. A Nice Mughal Anglo Indian Pen Box 19th Century The box with a Mughal I...

Nice and unusual Indian Mughal style large decorative box, filigree and carved horn. Anglo-Indian footed domed box with exceptional engraved details throughout with filigree and carved veneered bone plaques with arabesque carving. Vizagapatam, late 19th century. History of the Anglo-Indian Boxes Beginning in the early part of the 18th century, Indian artisans made what came to be known as Anglo-Indian boxes for the English residents living in India, who eventually brought or sent them back to England. At the beginning of the 19th century, India began exporting these boxes commercially, although not in any significant numbers until the 1850s. People valued them so highly that manufacturers of tins copied the designs on them in the late 19th and early 20th century. Anglo-Indian boxes fall into four groups: Rosewood or ebony boxes inlaid; sandalwood boxes veneered; sandalwood boxes covered with Sadeli mosaic; and carved boxes often combined with Sadeli mosaic/ The first two categories came from Vizagapatam in East India while the last two came from Bombay in West India. English traders discovered the rich woods and intricate workmanship of Indian artisans, so colonial government officials began to recognize the work of the Indian artists and craftsmen as a source for satisfying the need for furniture and boxes, which would both serve to enhance English households in India. This gave rise to the cabinetmaking workshops in Vizagapatam between Calcutta and Madras. Craftsmen made the first boxes to be decorated with Sadeli mosaic of rosewood or ebony, incised to give further definition to the decoration, directly inlaid into the wood. The shape of the early boxes was either sloping at the front with a flatter section at the back, reminiscent of English writing slopes, or rectangular. Artisans inlaid the borders with stylized floral scrolls and the centers with a single floral motif following a circular or oval symmetrical or asymmetrical pattern. The edging was ornamental and protective, both helped protect the end grain against the weather. Made in Vizagapatam, situated on the south east coast of India, near Madras These exotic boxes...

Fine antique Anglo-Indian hand carved wooden jewelry box inlaid. Nice Indian Mughal pen box handcrafted in very fine Sadeli micro mosaic...