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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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.
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Agate, Lapis Lazuli, Rock Crystal, Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Plexiglass, Acrylic
2010s South American Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver Plate
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
2010s South American Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal
2010s South American Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
20th Century American Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Boxes
Travertine
Late 20th Century Chinese Modern Decorative Boxes
Copper, Enamel
20th Century Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
2010s South American Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Decorative Boxes
Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal, Sheet Metal
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Decorative Boxes
Acrylic, Lucite, Plexiglass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Horn, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Horn, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Gold Leaf
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Silver Plate
20th Century Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone, Wood
Early 2000s Irish Modern Decorative Boxes
Mahogany, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Lapis Lazuli, Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Onyx
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Stone, Quartz, Metal, Silver Plate
Early 20th Century German Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal, Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Decorative Boxes
Ceramic
20th Century French Modern Decorative Boxes
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1970s French Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Lucite, Plexiglass
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Boxes
Chestnut
1980s Austrian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
20th Century Philippine Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone, Felt
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
1980s North American Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Marble
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
2010s Unknown Modern Decorative Boxes
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Bone
1980s American Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Decorative Boxes
Lapis Lazuli, Marble
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Boxes
Chestnut
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Boxes
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Boxes
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Boxes
Brass