17th Century Decorative Boxes

A jewelry box of rectangular form with domed and corniced top and base plinth of stitched leather. Featuring gilt tooled leather covering all around and elaborate hand-tooled scene...

17th Century Italian Ebonized Inlaid Milanese Table Cabinet. Cabinet is an exceptional rectangular box-form cabinet veneered in richly toned ebony and rosewood, lavishly inlaid with ...

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

Rare and precious Venetian domed case made of richly lacquered and gilded wood, early 17th century, depicting "The Conquests of Venice." Caskets like this one are more unique than ...

The iron coffer, fully original in every part of it, was forged and handcrafted in German in the 1610. Complete with key. Full working iron mechanisms. It ...

A fine example of a money chest or cash box with steel engraved figures on each side and an intricate locking mechanism under the lid, typical of metalwork coming out of a host of ci...

A stunning 17th century Italian leather covered wood trunk covered in brass nail heads, some spelling out a word on top, and with iron strap hinges a...

This is an antique Japanese bento box from Edo era which was used for cherry blossom viewing party. It is made with bamboo and painted with ...

A good antique English, Charles II (Carolean) period carved oak bible or document box, circa 1680. Such boxes were particularly popular in the 17th century, when printed bibles were very expensive and a treasured family possession. The bible was most likely the only book owned by a family and was also the means of recording births, deaths & marriages which would be written on the flyleaf or endpapers. They were also used to protect other important documents and valuables and were brought to colonial America by early settlers. This bible box dates shortly after the English Civil War & the brief time that England was a Republic (known then as the Commonwealth) under Oliver Cromwell. The box typifies those Puritan values, simple six plank construction with a hinged lid enclosing a storage area for a bible or important documents. The front of the box having a carved foliate twin lunette design with a hand cut steel lock & hasp above, the box is robust & solid & for it's 350 or so years it is in very good condition! This very early antique carved bible box...

A charming 17th century ebony and kingwood cabinet with turned columns to the corners, the fall front opens to reveal a set of drawers and arched mirrored centre. The lid also housin...

Antique Italian ballot urn shaped wooden box, carved and painted, coming from Tuscany, Monte San Savino near Arezzo in Central Italy. This ballot urn is an excellent example of a 17th century wooden voting box...

An old Japanese lacquered small box likely used to contain incense powder called Kobako, circa Momoyama to early Edo period (16-17th century). The rectangular form box with a fitted ...

A dwarf cassone with hinged top with chip carved edge over a paneled case with central keyhole, arcaded carved base.

Rare William and Mary walnut glove box on later stand - exceptional quality with aged patina - featuring elaborate walnut oyster veneered top and walnut veneered sides - the interior of the box lined with hand quilted floral silk Lampas fabric...

Rare Nuremberg wrought-iron casket, dating from the early 17th century. Rectangular in form, it is constructed from riveted iron plates and fitted with a slightly domed lid, topped w...

With a domed hinged lid and bail handle over a conforming case decorated overall with figures in Renaissance dress. Bun feet. Provenance; David and P...

Circular form with flattened doomed covers, the covers with a medallion of flower with full bloom, the bowls with two round borders. Period : Qing Dynasty, Kangxi-Yongzheng Period P...

17th century leather knife box converted to a letter box with original brass hardware, sitting on brass ball feet. Fitted interior lined with 18th century silk fabric. In very good...

A fine and rare 17th-century William and Mary period olive oyster lace box of perfect proportions. 1680-1700, England The cross-grain moulded top is entirely covered in well-placed ...

Having a rectangular top with a molded edge and a line carved detail the center with a coin slot, the conforming case with steel reinforcement straps and a decorative steel escutcheo...

A 17th century cutlery box with the original leather, metal hardware and interior.

Sea captain's box with iron fittings 1680/1720 colonial.

A diminutive William and Mary Kingwood/Princes oyster strongbox or Coffre Fort, circa 1680-1700, England. This small scale example is adorned with highly decorative gilt brass stra...

Rare and valuable ebony-plated domed case with rich gilt bronze decoration and central jasper medallion. Italian Renaissance manufacture from the early 17th century. The production...

Early Japanese Lacquer Incense Box (Kogo) Late 17thc. Of rectangular form with soft corners, decorated with a diaper pattern in gold lacquer on a brownish black ground, with pewter r...

Late 17th Century box covered in leather. With decorative metal crowns the symbol of a Count in France. Circa 1680.

This charming and unusual casket injects a romantic atmosphere into any interior. It has survived in impeccable condition with acceptable wear to the painted surface which signifies its age and use. It is a conversation piece, a piece of acting history, bought by Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier...

Bible box hand-crafted in Italy in the mid 1600s using walnut. The box is still in fantastic shape and has a gorgeous patina. On three sides it is decorated with beautiful hand-carve...

Leather trunk Spanish, 17th century Boiled Leather, wood and iron Measures: 22 x 53 x 32 cm. Provenance : - collection Metz-Noblat, Château de Clevant, France Rectangular trunk of the form and size of a small suitcase with wrought iron hinges and lock-plate. Wood, covered with leather, cut and embossed with every surface of the thick cow hide covered in interlace, zoomorphic features. The construction method is boiled leather, often referred to by its French translation cuir-bouilli: a process used to change flexible, vegetable-tanned leather into rigid, moulded objects. For shaping of the vegetable-tanned leather, heat and moisture were used, as indicated by the term boiled leather. No written medieval sources describing the production of decorated cuir bouilli objects survive, so knowledge of the process relies on the important studies of the Scottish leather historian John William Waterer. A large range of methods, materials and techniques could be used in various combinations. The vegetable-tanned leather, made supple with moisture and heat, was stuffed, shaped and nailed to the rigid wooden coffer support. The stuffing material was probably modeled beeswax or stearin wax. To shape the leather, to create its topography, « Cushions » were made by lacing a thread through an awl hole and attaching the flexible leather and stuffing to the rigid wooden support on the bottom. Then the decoration was done: lines were incised through the upper layer of the leather (epidermis) with different thicknesses of knives or needles. Contours were created with deep v-shaped cuts, decoration with thin incision and final details with a needle point. For the incision and pouncing stage, the leather was probably kept heated and moistened for suppleness. Once dry, the leather would be hard and rigid. the saturated leather is worked over a form, possibly even damp sand, with the pattern shaped using bone or wooden tools. Compare to metal, leather was lighter and it offered protection from cuts and punctures. Cuir bouilli objects were produced by specialist leather workers and needed skillful craftsmanship. The surface is filled with roundels shaped foliages enclosing animals, lions and peacocks. The foliate arabesques creating a vegetal connection tweet the animals create the impression of a lush verdant space . The vegetal pattern here employed in combination with geometrical pattern came from the pre-islamic artistic traditions of the Byzantine and Sasanian empires. An aspect of Islamic geometry Is the basic symmetrical repetition and mirroring of the shapes that create a sense of harmony. The decoration of this truck is inspired by the islamic « arabesque » a form of vegetal ornament composed of spirals, intertwining plants and abstract curvilinear motifs. An arabesque character is given to the birds of the decorations through extreme stylisation. This arabesque maintained the classical tradition of median symmetry, freedom in Detail and heterogeneity of ornament. The presence of the peacocks is a paradisiacal allusion: in popular Islamic literature they were among the original inhabitants of the garden of Paradise expelled with Adam and Eve. Peacock as a decorative motif may have originated in the West, despite their eastern provenance. There was an ancient belief that the flesh and feathers of peacock do not decay. This led to the peacock becoming a christian symbol for Christ’s resurrection. Renowned for their decorative wall hangings, seventeenth-century Spanish leatherworkers also produced utilitarian objects, such as this trunk. A similar trunk is on display at the Metropolitan museum of art ( 09.158.1). Related literature : Davies L. 2006. Cuir bouilli. Conservation of leather and related materials, 94-102, Oxford: elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann Grabar, Oleg. The Mediation of Ornament. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992 Gabriela Germana Roquez, "El mueble en el Peru en el siglo XVIII...

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

A very fine and interesting late 17th century English work box or travelling case English Circa 1680 Of conventional form with slightly domed lid, this piece has acquired a magnifi...

Hinged top, decorated overall with incised carving, lock plate and side handles.

A museum-grade mid-17th century Dutch silver marriage casket or knottekistje, circa 1660. Raised on solid silver bun feet the miniature casket is profusely engraved to all faces depicting a courting couple and architecture entwined in scrolling foliage. The reverse of the casket depicts the last supper, however, if you look closely, you can see a boy stealing food or wine from underneath! Possibly, this is the courting gentleman showing that he had a sense of humour. The scratch lined moulded top is surmounted with an intricate handle (once gilt) and floral patera to the centre. There are two inscriptions each within a cartouche 'In Lÿfde Beltact het al' and 'Getrouw tot in den doot' which loosely translates to 'faithful until the death' and 'love is everything'. Wedding caskets...

RARE IBERIAN SAFE from the first half of the 17th Century in painted and gilded carved wood decorated with plant motifs. Small defects. Dim.: 34 x 43 x 35 cm

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...

A good antique English Charles II period carved oak Bible or deed box, from the late 1600s. The box is made of typical six plank and joined pegged construction, the box with a hinge...

17th century Chinese porcelain blue and white cosmetics box from the Hatcher Collection decorated with a phoenix. The phoenix is painted with its wings outstretched, its tail flutter...

A fine and rare 17th-century William and Mary olive oyster floral marquetry lace box, circa 1685. England The cross grain olive moulded and holly banded top is centred by an oval of...

A rare and unique church collection box from Northern Italy. Beautifully constructed from thick planks of walnut with intriguing carving detail. A wonde...

Very rare wood, iron and sharkskin domed casket on ball feet. Ornamented with iron strap work and double hasp lock. Silk damask interior. Ex collection of...

A Rare and Important 17th Century Miniature Japanese Lacquer Cabinet, 19 cm H, 17cm W, 16.5cm D. The exquisitely decorated cabinet depicts fine floral raised scenes to each side. l...

A 17th century silver mounted Coromandel wood with mother of pearl inlay traveling box with a Interior fitted with drawers and a reliquary cabinet. W...

Turned, engraved and openwork box Fruit wood Florence, 17th century Measures: Diameter 11cm Height 4.4cm.  

Box ‘Cheveux de Vénus moulded pressed white glass with original sienna patina Model by René Lalique created in 1910. Signature engraved on the wheel. Height : 6 cm diameter : 6,...

A remarkable antique food box from the Shanxi province, North China, late Ming (1368-1644) to early Qing (1644-1912) Dynasty. An extraordinary e...

17th Century English Jacobean Carved Oak Bible Box. Period Jacobean solid dark oak bible box from the 17th century. The front is beautifully carved wi...

A very charming late 17th century French Coffre - Box crafted from beautifully patina'd leather. A wonderful piece to serve as a jewelry box or to adorn any table top.

Rare Louis XIV period messenger box, Late 17th Early 18th century, in wood sheathed in black-tinted leather with a radiant sun motif. This solar decoration is certainly a reference t...

Wonderful messenger box from the Louis XIV period, late 17th early 18th century. This pretty box is made of leather-wrapped wood decorated with copper nails forming scrolls and flowe...

Magnificent Louis XIV period messenger box, late 17th early 18th century. This pretty box is made of leather-covered wood decorated with copper nails on the front and top of the box....

Magnificent Louis XIV period messenger box, late 17th and early 18th centuries. This pretty box is made of leather-covered wood decorated with copper nails forming diamonds on the to...

Yellow lacca povera box. Late 17th century chest with early 19th century lacca povera decalcomania decorations with angels, birds, lions, flowers, and trees; with original hardware a...

Rectangular with brass strapping and side handles. Lock plate and flap. Fitted sometime in the 19th century as a tea caddy. Labeled Orange Pekoe and Black tea...

A fine example of an English needlework casket from the Charles II period (1660-1685), with silk work exterior panels depicting various figures and animals, a top mirrored compartmen...

An outstanding 17th century and later simulated tortoiseshell, gilt decorated, and iron bound strong box. With Chinoiserie decoration, the hinged top enclosing void interior with iro...

This superb Indian spice box is of a larger scale than normally seen. It is highly decorative and original. It is made from a solid block of dense woo...

A ebony two door cabinet decorated with a profuse pattern of stylized vegetation in low relief. The interior reveals an arrangement of six drawers. The fittings comprise two side han...

A very rare and beautiful Italian 17th century case, box, to store a chalice. Beautifully crafted with embossed leather. A fantastic accent piece, whether displayed as a single piece...

A 17th century Malines alabaster and ebonised wood coffer or casket with engraved inset panels, arches and columns. The interior has a marbled paper lini...

A fine example of an early 17th century Italian wooden casket or box, possibly pine, with slightly vaulted lid covered with red silk and adorned with appliqued foliate velvet with em...