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Moorish Decorative Boxes

MOORISH STYLE

After the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the eighth century, Islamic Spain became a cultural mix of influences that shaped both private homes and religious spaces. Moorish design was the name given to this style, which evolved through the 15th century with vibrant tile work, horseshoe arches and lavish ornamentation, most visible at sites such as Granada’s Alhambra and the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. Moorish furniture was often similarly ornate, and featured pieces inlaid with wood, ivory and bone.

When European designers began studying Moorish art and architecture in the early 19th century, it led to a Moorish Revival. Appropriating the style’s decorative flourishes and architectural elements, it promoted a romantic view of Islamic design. Travelers could bring home a memento of what they witnessed in the Middle East, a trend that aligned with a fad for themed interiors. Men’s smoking rooms arranged with ottomans, divans and settees and inlaid tables were especially popular, as were cafés where coffee was served amid bead curtains and colorful floor mats. (Handwoven rugs are a centerpiece of Moorish interiors.) Octagonal rooms with domed ceilings were created for wealthy homes, frequently with furnishings like pipe stands, filigree plasterwork and arched doorways. The horseshoe arch is an iconic attribute of Moorish architecture that, in addition to Spain, can be found in Sicily, Morocco and elsewhere.

Several late 19th to early 20th-century movements featured Moorish touches. The American and English Aesthetic Movement, for example, borrowed liberally from global decorating styles, as seen in furniture designed by Lockwood de Forest, a New York-born artist who mixed Eastern and Western forms. The visual vocabulary of Art Nouveau also references the elegant use of geometry in Moorish design, with Milanese Art Nouveau furniture designer Carlo Bugatti drawing inspiration from the style. The Arts and Crafts movement, which prized expressive yet simple design, incorporated Moorish influences; hand-painted furniture and tile work created by William De Morgan, a British designer and potter who made furnishings for the likes of Morris & Co., were informed by techniques from Moorish Spain.

Find a collection of Moorish lighting, decorative objects, folk art and more furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Moorish
Mosaic Marquetry Octagonal Music Box Granada Moorish Spain
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Exquisite handcrafted vintage Middle Eastern style mosaic marquetry inlaid walnut wood footed music box. Handcrafted in Spain in the Moorish Syrian style with red velvet lined and a mirror. Decorative Spanish inlaid Marquetry music box intricately and finely inlaid in Islamic geometric designs with marquetry of precious wood decorated with Moorish Islamic motif designs which have been painstakingly inlaid with fruitwoods. Small octagonal walnut Syrian style box intricately decorated with mosaic marquetry. Handcrafted in Granada Spain...
Category

Mid-20th Century Spanish Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Shell, Fruitwood

Tchibo Tin Box Red and Gold Arabesque Coffee Container Vintage 1960 Germany
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Tchibo coffee tin box red and gold coffee box vintage 1960 Germany. Circa 1960's Tchibo round coffee tin box in gold and red enamel. Very decorative storage tin with a Moorish Arabes...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Enamel, Tin

Octagonal Jewelry Music Box, Made in Italy
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Elegant octagonal wooden music box in thuya wood. Thuya tree is famous for rich gold and brown shades of its grain and unique exotic fragrance, simila...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Fruitwood

Geometric Trinket Box in Brass with Bone Inlay, Handcrafted in Morocco, 1970's
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Handmade brass metal and bone trinket box with inlays. The round box has a geometric design with ten sides that feature brass circle inlays within the carved bone frame. The box ha...
Category

1970s Moroccan Vintage Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Brass

Vintage Rectangular Moroccan Inlaid Decorative Box
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage rectangular Moroccan inlaid decorative box. This unusual Moroccan or Middle Eastern Arabesque box of mixed inlaid woods in a mosaic pattern is th...
Category

20th Century Moroccan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Wood

Moorish Green Glass Perfume Bottle Sprinkler with Embossed Metal Overlay
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Handcrafted Moroccan Moorish green painted glass perfume bottle or rose water sprinkler with raised embossed silvered metal floral design over glass. The pressed glass bottle in Art Deco, Art Nouveau style is oval shape with curved sides and hand decorated with embossed metal silvered overlay. This has a long metal top spout that unscrews so the bottle can be filled to pour the perfume or rose water into this little luxe bottle. This is a recycled vintage French perfume bottle...
Category

20th Century Moroccan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Metal

Vintage Moroccan Burlwood Jewelry Box
Located in Middleburg, VA
A captivating and finely crafted vintage Moroccan box, made circa 1900, fashioned from richly figured burled Amboyna wood. Designed in the form of a stacked set of antique books, thi...
Category

20th Century Moroccan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Brass

Mosaic Marquetry Moorish Octagonal Footed Music Box Granada Spain 1950
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage Mosaic Marquetry Moorish Octagonal Footed Music Box Granada Spain 1950. Exquisite handcrafted vintage Middle Eastern Islamic style mosaic marquetry inlaid walnut wood footed ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Spanish Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Fruitwood

Middle Eastern Kilim Upholstered Stained Pine Table Chest
Located in Germantown, MD
A skillfully Kilim Upholstered Stained Pine Middle Eastern Table Chest with nail head decorated trims. Measures 20.5" in width, 10.5" in depth and...
Category

20th Century Afghan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Upholstery, Pine

1950s Large Decorative Middle Eastern Islamic Moorish Box
Located in North Hollywood, CA
1950s Large Mosaic Shell Inlaid Decorative Middle Eastern Islamic Moorish Box. Vintage 1950s Mosaic Abalone Shell Inlaid Decorative Middle Eastern Islamic Box. Mosaic Decorative Midd...
Category

Mid-20th Century Lebanese Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Abalone, Fruitwood

Antique Silver Enameled Ring Container Box from Kabylie, Algeria
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Antique Berber Kabyle box container to hold rings and pins small jewelry or khol. Made of silver wash with filigree enamel in pagoda shape. Enamel and rhinestone made of silver tone ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Algerian Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Metal

Hand Painted Rajasthani Lacquer Decorative Box
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Hand painted Rajasthani lacquer box in rectangular shape with lid decorated with floral designs. Great decorative box. Size is 9" x 5.5" x 2" height. Overall good condition. Great Is...
Category

20th Century Indian Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Lacquer

Middle Eastern Micro Mosaic Handcrafted Box
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Exquisite handcrafted Middle Eastern mosaic marquetry inlaid wood box. Small octagonal box intricately decorated with a miniature painting of an old man with a textile in his hand motif and inlaid with mosaic marquetry. Middle Eastern, Asian micro mosaic box...
Category

Mid-20th Century Azerbaijani Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Fruitwood

Persian Lacquer Pen Box Hand Painted with Floral and Gilt Design
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Persian hand painted lacquer pen box in rectangular shape. Decorated with floral designs on gold background, black interior. Moorish Mughal pen box papier maché with miniature floral painting in the Persian style. Great Islamic Art collector museum quality piece on this miniature painting on box. Nice Mughal Indo Persian pen Box...
Category

Early 20th Century Indian Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Paper

Moorish Decorative Sadeli Micro Mosaic Inlaid Jewelry Box
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Middle Eastern Sadeli micro mosaic inlaid jewelry footed box with lid. Intricate inlaid box with floral and geometric Moorish design. Sadeli micro mosaic designs in mosaic marquetry, very fine artwork. Lined with red velvet and glass, top final and feet are brass. A highly collectible example in superb condition complete Circa 1900. Museum piece like the ones in Doris Duke Islamic Art Museum. Middle Eastern Arabian Micro Mosaic Moorish...
Category

Early 20th Century Lebanese Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Fruitwood

Moorish Glass Perfume Bottle Sprinkler with Embossed Metal Overlay
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Handcrafted Moroccan Moorish glass perfume bottle or rose water sprinkler with raised embossed silvered metal floral design over amber glass. The pressed glass bottle in Art Deco, Art Nouveau style is oval shape with curved sides and hand decorated with embossed metal silvered overlay. This has a long metal top spout that unscrews so the bottle can be filled to pour the perfume or rose water into this little luxe bottle. This is a recycled vintage French perfume bottle Reve D'Or and mark in the bottom by "L T Piver Paris". Handcrafted in Marrakech, Morocco by skilled artisans that used recycle perfume bottle and add the metal overlay...
Category

20th Century Moroccan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Metal

Silvered Metal Lidded Box
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Silvered metal lidded box of a circular form for powder kohl eye liner. Designed into two detached sections, finely handcrafted and decorated with scrollwork designs with a yellow amber stone on the top lid and lots of great detail. Berber Kabyle box container to hold loose powder kohl eye liner. Made of silver tone metal with filigree scales with a coral stone. A beautiful antique example of a traditional box handcrafted by Berber Women in Kabylie, Algeria. The circular container is richly decorated with detailed raised filigree silver work. Decorated with an amber color cabochon on the cover top. An amazing collector’s piece due to its rarity and the beauty of its intricate workmanship. Collector collyrium kohl pot...
Category

Mid-20th Century Algerian Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Metal

Moorish Amber Glass Perfume Bottle Sprinkler with Embossed Metal Overlay
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Handcrafted Moroccan Moorish amber painted glass perfume bottle or rose water sprinkler with raised embossed silvered metal floral design over amber glass. The pressed glass bottle in Art Deco, Art Nouveau style is oval shape with curved sides and hand decorated with embossed metal silvered overlay. This has a long metal top spout that unscrews. This is a recycled vintage French perfume...
Category

20th Century Moroccan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Metal

Moroccan Antique Large Tribal Drinking Flask in Polished Brass
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Moroccan antique tribal drinking flask gunpowder large brass flask polished and decorated with semi precious glass stones and filigree metal.  Huge antique copper and brass decorative bottle, flask wall hanging sculpture. Large brass circular canteen, water, drinking flask. The front of the brass canteen is decorated with the repoussé technique and hammering and is overlay with brass filigree and semi precious glass stone. Has a two hooks to add a strap.   Collector decorative handcrafted drinking, or powder flask...
Category

20th Century Moroccan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Brass

Antique Moroccan Painted Wood Box
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Antique Moroccan wood box painted on all six sides with symbolic floral designs over an architecturally intriguing form and a removable pitched lid.
Category

Mid-20th Century Moroccan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Moroccan Red Glass Perfume Bottle Sprinkler with Embossed Metal Overlay
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Handcrafted Moroccan Moorish red painted glass perfume bottle or rose water sprinkler with raised embossed silvered metal floral design over red g...
Category

20th Century Moroccan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Metal

Moroccan Amber Footed Glass Perfume Bottle Sprinkler with Embossed Metal Overlay
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Handcrafted Moroccan Moorish amber painted glass perfume bottle or rose water sprinkler with raised embossed silvered metal floral design over amber glass. The pressed glass bottle in Art Deco, Art Nouveau style is oval shape with curved sides and hand decorated with embossed metal silvered overlay. This has a long metal top spout that unscrews. This is a recycled vintage French perfume...
Category

20th Century Moroccan Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Metal

Vintage Brass Moroccan Double Inkwell
Located in San Diego, CA
Double inkwell with brass latched cover with hinged open mechanism. Colorful and intricate patterns abundant in Islamic arts were hand painted on front, s...
Category

1960s Moroccan Vintage Moorish Decorative Boxes

Materials

Metal

Moorish decorative boxes for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Moorish decorative boxes for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage decorative boxes created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, asian art and furniture, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, fruitwood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Moorish decorative boxes made in a specific country, there are Africa, Asia, and Maghreb pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original decorative boxes, popular names associated with this style include and Berber Tribes of Morocco. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for decorative boxes differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $250 and tops out at $2,850 while the average work can sell for $750.

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