East Asian Decorative Boxes

A heavy beautiful modernist round brass box

Charming and highly detailed anthropomorphic bronze sculpture depicting a penguin rendered as a gentleman, dressed in a tailored overcoat with bow tie and hat, and holding a walking ...

Japanese Lacquer Inro with Netsuke Okame Mask, brown lacquer with 3 sections and 2 compartments, and carved ivory polychrome Okame mask and a rope hair. This item is from the Meiji P...

Japanese gilt lacquer document box with a calligraphy Document, painted and gilt in flowers, a dedicated artwork. The original decorated strings ...

Here is a charming and highly decorative Japanese trinket box dating to the 1930s, expressing the bold geometric styling and modernist spirit of t...

This is a box for the matcha powder using while tea ceremony in Japan. It is called 'Natsume'. It is made with wood. The design is a boat and it is hand painted. The material is with...

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...

Vintage bronze cloisonne lacquer powder box featuring Prunus blossoms - removeable lid - unsigned - China - mid 20th century. Excellent vintage condition - no loss - no damage - n...

A beautiful antique storage box, made of bamboo, beautifully decorated with plates of gracefully embossed copper. The chest was probably made in Japan, for the European/French market...

The soft, matte texture and eroded wear of this petite porcelain box suggest it spent many years submerged in saltwater, likely excavated from a sunken trade ship carrying ceramic ex...

Vintage square porcelain lid with box features a traditional Arita style blue and white decor with abstract geometric motifs in Sometsuke decoration technique. The minimal shape of t...

Hand-carved free-standing Japanese Working Man Figurine. Okimono is a Japanese term meaning for display as an art or decorative object. Figure rests on an flat irregular oval base. T...

A finely decorated Japanese cloisonné enamel trinket box featuring an intricate floral and butterfly composition set against a dense scrolling ground. The lid displays a harmonious a...

This is a Japanese lunch box. This is made of paulownia woods and painted with lacquer-Wajima. It can be used as decoration. Family crest: This fam...

Vintage cobalt blue porcelain box decorated with pagodas in a riverscape, interior fitted with two compartments, made in 20th Century Width 7.5 inches / depth 4 inches / height 3 inc...

Japanese Kobako Yosegi Zaiku marquetry roll-top box A Japanese Kobako box, small and very light box with a roll-top door. A box, designed with beautiful Yosegi Zaiku inlay work (marquetry). Made in the Hakone region Hakone-Yosegi-Zaiku is a type of traditional Japanese inlay...

This is an old Japanese wooden box, crafted in the Meiji to Taishō period (1860s–1920s). Despite its long history, it retains a quiet and compelling presence. The box is made from traditional sugi (Japanese cedar), whose soft grain and gentle texture reflect the depth and warmth of its age. The form is strikingly minimal—its design is completely free of unnecessary elements. Although it is simply a box, the composition of clean lines and planes gives it a subtle tension and understated beauty. It carries the precision and warmth of handcraft, something that cannot be replicated by industrial production. One particularly captivating feature is the visible trace of careful repairs made over many years. A knot hole on the side was thoughtfully patched with black washi paper, a practical repair that, over time, has become an expressive and almost artistic detail. In this small gesture, one can sense the quiet presence of Japanese aesthetic sensibilities. The top and sides bear gentle wear and abrasion accumulated over decades. Rather than damage, these marks serve as a texture created by time, giving the piece its unique depth and character. The box possesses a humble yet powerful presence—a true embodiment of wabi-sabi, the beauty of imperfection and age. The interior remains sturdy, offering ample storage capacity. It has been thoroughly cleaned, ensuring it can be used safely and comfortably. Its low, elongated proportions make it highly versatile: ideal as a low coffee table, a book table, a side table, or a display platform. Simply placing it in a modern interior instantly adds a sense of calm and visual depth. A simple yet richly expressive antique wooden box...

Porcelain bronze mounted box, Art Nouveau style Made of hand-painted crackled, glazed high quality bronze mounted porcelain. Signed on the bottom. An all over polychrome floral deco...

A vintage Chinese decorative box, crafted in wood and finished in lustrous black lacquer, its surface delicately adorned with a gilt bamboo and green leaf motif. The design, executed...

This is a vintage Japanned pen box. A Japanese, lacquered Papier-mâché calligrapher's quill case, dating to the Art Deco period, circa 1930. Charming desktop pen case, ideal for col...

A finely crafted Japanese tabletop cabinet from the early 20th century, this compact storage piece is richly detailed with traditional decorative techniques and export-era flourishes...

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 ...

A gorgeous Majolica ceramic trompe l'Oeil asparagus covered box By Fitz & Floyd Japan, circa 1980s Measures: 7.25"W x 4"D x 3"H Very good original vintage condition.

A striking Chinese lapis blue cloisonné round lidded box or bowl, early 1980s. Vibrantly decorated with a green border, ombre cherry blossoms, a single butterfly, gilded accents and ...

Japanese antique mid size Tansu (chest of drawers), product of circa 1870s - 1900s, late Edo to Meiji era, estimate from the style & conditions. Remaining original paint gives a ...

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...

Lovely Chinese export cloisonné box made of brass and enameled with a beautiful floral pattern in beautiful colors of red, green, blue and red. The box rests on ball feet. This chino...

Vintage Chinese handcrafted lacquer wood handpainted jewelry box in a shape of sea shells clam.

This antique Buddhist shrine box was crafted in the Edo Period (1603-1868). Known in Japan as a “Zushi,” it served as a small sanctuary to enshrine Buddhist figures, scriptures, or ...

This is a cast pewter lidded box modelled as a duck with copper detail, made in Hong Kong and dating to the mid -century, Circa 1950s The mixed metal box is cast in the Cinoiserie ...

A striking and whimsical large-scale decorative mallard duck container designed by Maitland-Smith. Expertly hand-painted with richly detailed feather patterns, the sculpture captures...

Magnificent Japanese museum quality exhibition piece contemporary decorative porcelain box/centerpiece, extremely intricately hand-painted in vivid blue, orange and green on a stunni...

An elegant antique Japanese box in black lacquered wood, decorated with a delicate gold motif depicting a bird perched on a flowering branch, acco...

This Shiwan ceramic pillow (headrest) of earthenware features a green & blue glaze. Pillows in this shape were not only used by opium smokers but most typi...

A charming and uncommon antique brass thimble case, beautifully formed in a smooth oval silhouette with a warm, time-earned patina. This petite hinged container features delicate han...

This box is made in Japan and coated with black lacquer. The furniture was made during the Meiji period (1860s-1900s) and is made of cedar wood. The metal fittings are made of copper...

A fine antique Japanese Meji Period lacquer box decorated with a fan and a stylized star shaped window in the maki-e technique. The fan at the top right corner, fully opened depictin...

This slender metal container is a 19th-century white brass incense burner, used for storing and burning incense sticks. The small box has a rectangular form and a removable sliding t...

A fine lacquered and gold leaf Nagamochi dating from the late 18th century or early 19th century. The exterior of the trunk and its gilded metal fittings are decorated with a folia...

Chinese Round Black Lacquer Box with Mother of Pearl Inlay, likely 20th Century Beautiful and useful 20th century. Chinese lacquer box of circular shape, the domed cover with flora...

For your consideration, an antique Japanese hibachi, a traditional wooden container used as a charcoal brazier for heating or cooking.It is constructed from Keyaki (elm) hardwood, fe...

Vintage walnut box, trinket box, keepsake made in Japan for F.B. Rogers Silver Company, circa 1970. Made out of Silver Plate and Gold Plate Steel an...

Meticulously enamelled and gilt satsuma box, Meiji Period (1867-1912). Overall very good antique condition, base that the box sits on is a bit slanted. L...

1891-1911 Chinese cinnabar stamp box. The red lacquer carved with a garden scene & a sage under a tree. Hinged. Sides are fully carved as well. Marked "China". Late Qing Dynasty. 3 3...

This is a rare enamel red box signed s. Inaba Kyoto . The picture on top is of three birds flying Enamel is all intact and in great condition Beautiful box to add to any collection!

A Japanese 18th Century Tsukinami-e 6 Panel Floor Screen depicts the Activities of the Twelve Months of the Year, mineral pigments on gold leaf, mounted on wood panels with 6 frames...

Finely detailed champlevé scarab shape box with gilt wash interior. Traces of antique mirror on inner top. Rich colors of blue, turquoise purple finely enameled all around box.

A Chinese Huanghuali document box with original brass mounts. Features a rectangular lid with ornate cut-out brass corners, brass bound down a...

Pretty little Japanese lacquered box. On a golden metal medal inside we can read the royal motto of the Netherlands, adorned with a lion: "Je maintiendrai...

This striking vintage Chinese two-toned decorative box captures the artistry of traditional craftsmanship while offering a unique, geometric design. Cloaked in a rich gold finish wit...

Pair of Vintage Chinese Metal Boxes with decorations of dragons. Realized in China in the mid-20th Century. Good condition.

"Vintage Chinese red and gold painted decorative wooden box with a metal latch and band around the base and an ornately carved handle featuring a ...

Canton Chinese porcelain box. Chinese export. Circa 1920 origin China. Rectangular format. With internal divisions. Family Rosse style. Box...

An antique Japanese late Meiji era covered Totai enamel on porcelain trinket or jewelry box. Circa: late 19th century to early 20th century. The ware is enameled with a polychrome floral medallion with butterflies and berries, on the top of the cover, surrounded by floral, and foliage patterns made in the Cloisonne technique. A hand painted image of a flower, under the cover. Dated, 01.12.08, and probably numbered, 6, on the bottom. Totai Shippo...

A 19th-century Japanese wooden box with an elegant geometric shape, crafted using traditional Japanese decorative arts techniques. The black lacquered surface is adorned with delicate painted and inlaid motifs, blending stylized floral elements, graphic symbols, and decorative characters. The composition is structured by a play of diagonal lines and ornamental bands, lending the piece a remarkable visual restraint while revealing refined and meticulous craftsmanship. The contrasts between the deep black, the golden tones, and the light accents attest to masterful craftsmanship. The antique patina, with subtle signs of age, enhances the authenticity and charm of this piece. Serving as both a storage object and a decorative element, this box embodies the aesthetics of 19th-century Japan, where functionality and symbolism harmoniously converge. It will find its place naturally in a wabi-sabi, minimalist, or eclectic interior, or within a collection of antique Asian objects. Main features: Antique wooden box Japan, 19th century Black lacquered wood Painted and inlaid decoration Stylized symbolic and floral motifs Original patina Storage and collectible item Keywords: antique Japanese box...

A Japanese lacquered wood fubako (a box to store document or small scroll painting) circa late 18th century of Edo period. The rectangular box features a deep lid with rounded corners and recessed mid-edge and a lower box with two bronze medallion rings and tasseled silk ties. The surface of the fubako was elaborately decorated with hiramaki-e and a low takamaki-e on a mottled Mura-nashiji background. The motifs on the lid depict branches of Japanese pine with finely rendered needles on the lower part; on the upper part, it showcases fruited persimmon branches. Two different shades of gold fundame were used to contrast the design and augmented by scattered gold kirigane to highlight some of the leaves. The design continues and cascades down to all sides of the lid as well as the walls of the box. The two bronze medallions appear original to the box and the silk ties show significant fading from the age. This Fine fubako is signed on the lower wall "Kanshosai" in Kanji with a kao mark. All the trims were finished in gold fundame and the interiors a dense nashiji in gold. Kanshosai is the mark of the distinguished lacquer artist Lizuka Toyo I who also signed his work "Toyosai". He was active in the second half of the 18th century during Edo period, employed by Hachisuka Shigeyoshi (1738-1801), daimyo of Awa on Shikoku Island. Although most survived work bearing his marks are inros, he was also known to decorated trays and other larger objects...

A fine and unusual Japanese black lacquer and mother of pearl inlaid box, Momoyama Period, 16th century, Japan. The large box and cover featu...

An antique Japanese enameled wooden box. Late Meiji period, before 1912. The box has a rectangular shape with a black border. The lid features a cloisonne enamel design with traditio...

A vintage black lacquered lidded circular box with mother or pearl floral inlaid décor. This vintage Chinese black lacquered box is a testame...

Black lacquered wood sewing box on lyre base stand. Both the work box and stand are decorated with abalone and Mother-of-Pearl inlays in a floral compo...