Modern Decorative Boxes
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
Early 20th Century German Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal, Aluminum
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal
2010s South American Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
Early 20th Century Japanese Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s South American Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s South American Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Terracotta
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Enamel, Ormolu
2010s South American Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Early 20th Century Belgian Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble, Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1980s Unknown Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
1940s American Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Boxes
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Horn, Wood
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Travertine, Brass
20th Century Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone, Wood, Horn
1960s English Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
2010s Thai Modern Decorative Boxes
Faux Leather
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Boxes
Travertine
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal, Sheet Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Paper, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Malachite
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Horn, Wood
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Decorative Boxes
Copper, Enamel
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
2010s South American Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
1980s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Resin
Late 20th Century English Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Marble
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
Late 20th Century Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1950s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal
Early 2000s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver, Enamel
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather, Fabric








