Hand-Carved Decorative Boxes

19th century victorian burr walnut desk top writing slope circa 1870. Fine quality english made victorian writing slope.  Exterior of rich burr walnut with tunbridge ware inlay deco...

19th century Anglo-Indian Mughal wood box, inlaid and hand carved with the Taj Mahal and some flowers all around. Jewelry box, Anglo-Raj box from India in great condition. Nice Mughal Bombay Box...

PRESENTING A GORGEOUS 19C Anglo Indian Highly Carved Sadeli Mosaic Sarcophagus Sewing Box. Made in Bombay, India circa 1860-80. Box made of sandalwood with highly carved teak wood reliefs and panels on all sides. Edged with bone and ebony veneers and glorious sadeli mosaic, made from tiny pieces of faux ivory, pewter, green semi-precious stone. The box is in a sarcophagus form with domed lid. The original brass carry handles are on the sides. The interior is in great condition and consists of a removeable mirror under the lid portion, with the original red velvet lining behind it. The base is removeable and contains a number of lidded compartments. 6 of the interior lids on the base, are each inlaid with sadeli mosaic banding. The rest are also carved and chased. The interior is fully complete with 7 lidded faux ivory/bone, thread canisters with sadeli domes and the original bone thimble. The box sits on 4 brass ball or bun feet with the original velvet lining on the base. Some minor repairs and losses, but this box is fully complete. This is ‘rare’ as many of these boxes have not survived in such condition! Included in the sale are 2 photos that were in the box (under the base tray). Interestingly, one of them is a view of downtown Nassau, New Providence (Bermuda) from the early 20C and stamped on the rear. What a ‘journey’ this piece has made! Made in India … travelled to Bermuda, probably via Britain … back to Ireland (where we bought it) …. then to Texas! These boxes were made by superb Indian craftsmen, specifically for sale to the ruling British elite. These types of boxes, carved padouk and sandalwood, (whilst beautiful and superbly crafted) were of a lesser quality, than the more profusely and intricately mosaic inlay, tortoiseshell and ivory boxes, made for the British ‘Upper Classes’ in the areas of Bombay and Vizagapatam. These type of boxes were much more affordable back in 1880 (and indeed today) and would probably have been bought by mid-level diplomats, civil servants or visitors. Sewing boxes (in general), were in EVERY Victorian home in Britain in the 19th Century and like other boxes etc were ‘status symbols’ of your place in society! The more ornate the box, the more ‘Upper Class’ you were! Of it’s type, this one, is one of the very higher quality one’s, than the norm! SADELI MOSAIC: “Anglo Indian boxes were made in India for the English residents from the early part of the 18th century. They were brought back or sent back to England usually by the people who had commissioned them. From the beginning of the nineteenth century they were imported more commercially, although not in any significant numbers until the middle decades. They were very highly valued, especially the early ones, to the extent that the designs were copied on late 19th and early 20th century tins. The ancient art of Sadeli Mosaic is said to have been introduced from Shiraz in Persia via Sind to Bombay, a long time before the Anglo Indian boxes were made. It was a technique, which required a high degree of skill and patience. It was executed very lavishly, in that the frequent cuts wasted a great amount of the precious materials used. The workmanship was however more than commensurable to the value of the materials. Ivory, silver, pewter (or other metals), wood and horn were cut into faceted rods which were bound together to form geometric patterns. When the glue has set, the rods were sliced in transverse sections. This gave the maker a number of angled circular pieces in the original pattern. Several variations of patterns could be achieved by combining the materials in different ways. The ivory was sometimes dyed green to give an extra color. The mosaic pieces in a combination of patterns, often separated by ivory, ebony, horn or silver stringing were used to veneer sandalwood boxes. In the early boxes, which date from the turn of the 18th to the 19th century, there are large panels of mosaic covering tops and sides of boxes. It took incredible skill to cover such large areas without any shakes or wavering of the pattern. The corners and joins on these boxes are impeccably matched. The makers (reputed to be Persian) of Sadeli mosaic made in the first two decades of the 19th century displayed a total understanding of the qualities of the different materials they used. They combined substances, which can expand and contract according to atmospheric conditions with others, which are hard and unyielding. The result was a sharp definition of the lines and patterns, which made up the whole design. On the early boxes the designs look deceptively simple. The fact is, they emerged from a culture, which had mastered geometry and understood how to generate a pattern from a set number of points. The patterns are so harmoniously combined that their incredible complexity is not immediately apparent. The earliest Sadeli boxes...

This exquisite hand-carved wooden jewelry box features a beautifully stylized depiction of a kingfisher bird. The octagonal box showcases intricate craftsmanship, with the bird motif...

Octagonal table box in 925/1000 sterling silver with fire-enamelled Art Deco design. Dimensions diameter cm. 15.8 high cm . 8.2. Weight gr. 974. Designed by Giorgio Salimbeni for Cartier USA in the 1980s, inspired by objects designed by Louis Cartier around 1920 and manufactured in Florence in various specimens, also in parure with other objects and in different colors, in the headquarters by the Salimbeni firm with completely manual execution by artisan artists with thick slab and large reinforcements suitable for withstanding numerous high-fire enamelled firings at about 750°<800° C. About cooperation Salimbeni and Cartier. Our first meetings with the Cartier USA Company took place through the Giorgini Company, the first "Buying Office" set up in Florence immediately after the Second World War, which had the purpose of bringing together Florentine, and also Italian, producers with American buyers, who especially appreciated the artistic objects still manufactured by artisans who still took inspiration from the Italian Renaissance, using techniques handed down from generation to generation. Mrs. Gina Pestelli, wife of a Florentine retail jeweller, was in charge of contacts with Cartier USA, above all an employee, while her daughter, also for Giorgini, took care of the fashion that in those years was affirmed in Florence with the events of "Pitti ". With their help, we began to supply frames and boxes in sterling silver gold plated with malachite and other semi-precious stones. At the same time, the official buyer of Cartier, Mr. William Smith, began to appreciate and commission the first objects with fired enamels, a process of which we have always been specialists. In 1975 we began exhibiting at the prestigious New York Jewellery Association Show, which we participated in both the February and July editions, for a good 26 years until 2001. In New York in those years the "Art deco style" was still very much appreciated, still mindful of the beautiful early 20th century architecture of the great buildings such as the "Crysler" or the "Empire State". We then began to produce frames, boxes, evening bags, "objets de vertu" and other objects in "art deco style" which were very popular with Mr. Smith who gave us some photocopies of Louis Francois Cartier drawings to reproduce them. Thus, numerous cigarette cases, powder compacts, evening bags, frames and table boxes were created exclusively for Cartier USA which, at the time, had the prestigious "Silver Department" on the first floor of the Cartier store on Fifth Avenue. An evening bag, with matching cigarette case and powder compact, were redone on the design created for a gift given to Mary Pickford at the time. In a 1986 Cartier...

A French Art Deco Period Silver, Enamel, and Chinese Jade Double Slot box, attributed to Cartier. The box is barrel-shaped and finished in black enamel. It rests on a pair of Chinese...

Crafted from wood with intricate, hand-carved details, this vintage tramp art box is another timeless peice of history to treasure. Featuring a layered, hand-carved design, original ...

Elegant Pill Box in 925/1000 Sterling Silver Description:Elevate your collection with this exquisite shaped pill box, beautifully crafted from 925/1000 sterling silver and elegantly ...

Mid 19th Century Swedish Folk Art Travel box from Skellefteå Västerbotten, Northern Sweden. Beautiful untouched original paint. Dated 1858 Decorated with handwrought iron around the ...

Salimbeni Pocket Cigarette Case, octagonal section, in 925/1000 sterling silver. Salimbeni Pocket Cigarette Case has a spring-loaded button and opening Salimbeni Pocket Cigarette C...

A 19th century Mughal dowry chest with carved patterns from India. This chest wooden chest with a slanted top strengthened by metal hardware reinforcements. The front displays lightly carved geometrical friezes. A large carved geometrical medallion adorns the triangular lid. The chest rests on four conical legs. This chest opens thanks to an door on the centre of its top. This unusual item was used as a dowry chest in India. This 19th century, Indian Mughal wood dowry chest...

Beautiful decorative tinned copper hand-hammered Indo-Persian box with lid. Probably used as a tea caddy or tobacco storage. Nice Middle Eastern Arabian Moorish style hand chiseled copper...

Gold-Plated Sterling Silver and Enamel Pill Box with Floral Miniature by Romano Buccioni, Salimbeni, Florence, 1980 Exquisite shaped pill box in 925/1000 sterling silver, gold plate...

Clover or quartreform shaped mid-19th century Chinese canton export tea caddy in gold lacquered wood on a black background. Decorated with palace scenes...

Indulge in the allure of vintage artistry with this rounded rectangular pill box, exquisitely crafted from 925/1000 gold-plated sterling silver. Adorned with intricate hand-engraved ...

Postmodern artisan-made sculptural, carved granite & aluminum stand displayed with handmade, studio craft, teak trinket box. Such a beautiful and unique pairing of objects. We'v...

Fitted Tunbridge Ware Sewing Box Interior From our Tunbridge Ware collection, we are delighted to offer this Tunbridge Ware Sewing Box. The Rosewood box of rectangular form extensiv...

Antique handcrafted Moroccan jewelry wooden box with camel bone inlay trunk. A large early 20th century decorative Moroccan camel bone casket with bra...

Rectangular table box with rounded corners in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with two-tone translucent fired enamels with guillochè stripes and hand-engraved motifs. George V E...

Fantastic and rare example of Black Forest folk art, a tour de force of carving by a master woodworker. This lift top box in the form of a thatched cottage has many wonderful details...

Shaped pill box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with a hand-painted miniature with fired enamel by the painter Romano Buccioni in the Louis XVI Empire style of the second hal...

Round leaf design box Cream lacquer Hand-carved Wood base Limited edition In stock Lacquer is a technique that dates back to the Shang dynasty, circa 1600-1100 B.C. These pieces are...

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

A Highly Important Viennese Enamel, Silver, Lapis Lazuli, and Rock Crystal Mounted Hinged Box, Attributed to Hermann Ratzersdorfer. The box is constructed from silver-gilt and fully ...

18th Century or Older Italian Renaissance Style Carved Verdigris Marble Table Box  This exquisite 18th-century or older carved Verdigris marble table box epitomizes Italian Renaissa...

Pill Box Yellow floral miniature in Art Nouveau style Sterling Silver Salimbeni.Round pillbox in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent...

Octagonal table snuffbox in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with black fired enamel inserted in a hand engraved drawing and with fired enamelled miniature, hand painted by the p...

French Modern Specimen Hardwood Carved Conch Shell Motif Box France, Later 20th Century Realistically carved and modeled of book-matched hardwood as...

Pill Box Silver is in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated 24carats. Pill Box Silver is Round with translucent fired enamels on guilloché. Pill Box Silver has a hand-painted miniatur...

Fully Fitted Sewing Box From our Sewing Box collection, we are delighted to introduce to the market this exceptional Mother of Pearl Sewing Box...

Oval pill box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with a fired enamelled miniature hand painted by the painter Romano Buccioni of a greyhound dog head on a white background. Engl...

Rectangular pill box with 2 slightly rounded sides, in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with a miniature hand-painted by the painter Romano Buccioni depicting a “pastoral” scene ...

This awesome Table Box Baroque style is in 925/1000 sterling silver. it has a Rectangular shape with hand-engraved intricate design Black and Green color fire enameled. Table Box Bar...

Swedish 'Timplåda' Wooden Box, dated 1824 A 'timplåda' is a traditional Swedish wooden box, handcrafted with care. Popular during the 18th and 19th centuries, these boxes were used ...

A beautiful octagonal-shaped limestone box with amazing patina. With engraved and gilded letters. Hand made from limestone in Sweden, mid 19th Century. Good condition. Wear consiste...

Round leaf design box Black lacquer Hand-carved Wood base Limited edition In stock. Lacquer is a technique that dates back to the Shang dynasty, circa 1600-1100 B.C. These pieces ar...

Antique box with beautiful carvings, around 1900. The top of the box is encarved with the flower of the mountains "Edelweiss". Also carved is "Interlaken", the Swiss city of manufact...

incredible Rectangular corrugated box made of wood and old blue mirrored glass with two details that recall the work of Peter Church. Also on the glass we can see staining that date...

Middle Eastern Moorish Mother of Pearl Inlaid Marquetry Jewelry Box. Exquisite middle Eastern Moorish Syrian inlay jewelry box covered with fine Moorish micro mosaic marquetry. Beaut...

Early 18th century Italian carved and dovetailed walnut alms box, circa 1725 Large dovetails and old handwrought nails give this small scale box a hea...

Square pill box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with hand-painted miniature depicting a sailboat. English Art Nouveau style, early 1900s. Dimensions: 3 x 3 x 1.2 cm. Weight:...

We are delighted to offer for sale this lovely one of a kind Winsor & Newton 1977 Queen Elizabeth Jubilee presentation with sterling silver ...

This Antique Carved Cinnabar Box. China. Early 20th Century with Dragon Cover and date to approximately 1920. The box is composed of brass with a vibrant blue enamelled interior and ...

Snuff box "savonette" shape in 925/1000 sterling silver with fire enamel and hand painted miniature on white background depicting a heads of running horse . English "Art Nouveau" st...

France / 1900 / sewing box / oak / antique / rococo A large French antique sewing box in oak hand crafted in France around 1900. This beautiful ...

Egg White with blue garlands is in 925/1000 sterling silver. Egg White with blue garlands has fired enamels on guilloché and design engraved by hand. Egg White with blue garlands i...

Whimsical carved wooden box with radiating acanthus-leaf motif, circa 1930s-40s. The lid blossoms outward in a dynamic sunburst pattern, resting on exuberantly scrolled acanthus feet...

Domed oval pillbox in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent fired enamels on guillochè, top and bottom, with fine hand-engravings. Viennese Art Nouveau style second h...

An 18th century French fariniere, made of walnut with nicely detailed hand carved sunflower relief on front panel. Good craftsmanship with dovetailed construction. Waxed patina. From...

Great decorative Moroccan Berber Tuareg metal brass powder flask. African decorative brass with front richly decorated with Moorish embossed brass ocverlay. Moroccan tribal powder fl...

Vintage African Tuareg Silver Outer Layer on Ebony Wood Jewelry Box. Rectangular form Islamic Tuareg Jewelry Box. Gorgeous Islamic jewelry treasure trink...

Hand-carved large wooden Anglo-Raj jewelry box. Early 20th century wood box richly decorated overall with arabesques and floral carving. Hinged lid shallow relief carving with interi...

Rectangular cigarette case with rounded corners in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fire-enameled and hand-painted miniature by painter Renato Dainelli depicting a pheasant....

Hand made early 20th century Moroccan antique Berber case flask, carved wood covered with brass and silvered metal filigree, delicately hand-hammered metal with animals decor for pow...

A beautifully understated early 19th-century Swedish lidded box, hand-carved in solid oak and rich with age and character. The simple circular form is elevated by a deeply developed ...

A French dore bronze mounted blue opalescent and dore bronze finial covered box. This round form box is very unusual with a blue opalescent color and dore bronze mount. The top is fi...

A 19th century erotical secret box. Extremely rare erotic sculpture from the 19th century, most probably created in France, circa 1870. This is a sculptural box depicting a woman sitting on a woven wood basket. The sculpture represents a small discrete treasure chest to keep jewels. It was masterfully crafted from pieces of cream and brown wood carvings and is fitted with a screwable part to reveal the interior. This is an outstanding object, unobtainable on the antique market and of high collecting. Other examples of these enigmatic boxes produced in the 19th Century. Gilded and patinated bronze, made in France during the 3rd Empire. Ca 1870 Weight: 192.2 Grams, (123.20 Dwt). Measurements: 150 mm by 63.5 mm by 89 mm (5.91 x 2.5 x 3.5 Inches). Condition: The overall condition of this sculpture is excellent. Beside the little normal wear, there is no damage to any part. This erotic box...

Pill Box Silver is in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated 24 carats. Pill Box Silver is Rectangular with translucent fired enamels on guilloché. Pill Box Silver has a hand-painted m...

More than a kilo of sterling silver was needed to create this stunning rectangular tabletop box. Worked with the very complicated guilloche technique, it was then enamelled at high heat with translucent enamel to make the superb workmanship shine through. The fine rectangular miniature cm. 7.5 x 10.7 on vegetable ivory. The small masterpiece handmade by the painter Anna Maria Manfriani reproduces the famous portrait of Empress Eugenia de Montijo, by the painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter. The unenamelled sterling silver parts were then gilded with a 24-carat galvanic bath. In Art Nouveau style, with a “lost” zip, i.e. semi-invisible. Dimensions cm. 15 x 18 x 3.5. Weight gr. 1095. Designed by Giorgio Salimbeni in 1980 and manufactured in Florence at the Salimbeni company headquarters with completely manual execution by artisan artists with a very thick slab and large reinforcements suitable for supporting numerous enamelling firings at around 800° Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 19th Countess of Teba, 16th Marquise of Ardales known as Eugénie de Montijo was Empress of the French from her marriage to Napoleon III on 30 January 1853 until the fall of the Emperor on 4 September 1870. From July 28 to September 4...

A superb example of provincial craftsmanship, this richly carved walnut panetière was crafted in Provence circa 1830. The hanging bread cabinet features an arched crest topped with t...