Bone Boxes

Vintage Geometrtic Tesselated Bone Box. This beautiful decorative box is the perfect accessory for a coffee table, dressing area or bookcase.

A antique tortoiseshell singing bird box, most probably by Bontems, Going barrel movement, Gilt metal two-tone brilliance... When wound and start/stop slide moved to the right, the bird pops up through foliate chased gilt grille, then proceeds to move bone beak, wings and body from side-to-side to good complex continuous synchronized birdsong. The bird with streaked feathered plumage in brown, yellow, turquoise and red, lime green and purple iridescent highlights, highly polished lid interior for full bird reflection, in plain polished tortoiseshell case, twinned laurel leaf engraved bird lid border with the bird lid engraved with love birds and rose united beneath leaf swag arch, accentuated with gilt on silvered ground, hidden key...

Intricately Carved Bone Containers with Lid – Set of 2 – Antique Handcrafted Decorative Storage Boxes Discover this unique set of 2 intricate carved bone containers with lid, perfec...

A rare and exceptional Baroque period Flemish or Dutch red tortoiseshell, bone, horn, ebony, and rosewood lift-top chest with drawer, circa 1725, mounted on a later stand. 17th/18...

Whaler made antique bone and ebonized wood round box, circa 1850. With pierced bone medallion and delicately carved bone spiral decorative supports on the...

A flat-lidded brown polished horn box by Maitland Smith, with two beautifully inlaid and brass trimmed polished greenstone ( I believe to be amazonite tiles surrounded by a gilt bras...

Exuding a lavish flair intertwined with its geometrical design, this refined ivory storage box showcases a precious structure in horn and wood and a rectangular lid in the same lacqu...

This rare Chinese Art Deco box is made from copper alloy. The top is decorated with hand carved black cinnabar and highlighted with a finely carved bone figure...

Anglo-Indian penwork decorated veneered sandalwood glove box on turned ball feet the sides and top decorated with scrolling leaf borders and the top with a central leaf-framed cartou...

A very charming Swedish Snuff Box made in Cow Horn during the 19th century. Wear consistent with age and use.

Elegant, exotic, and unmistakably refined, shagreen has long captivated those with a discerning eye for luxury. Derived from stingray skin, this richly textured material first appea...

Beautiful 19th Century Eastern Tortoiseshell and Bone Trinket Box, Lined with Blue Velvet on Paw Feet. Ideal for jewellery or keepsakes or just as a ...

Embriachi workshop marquetry casket Northern Italy, 15th century Alla certosina inlays (bone, stained bone, pewter and wood) H 28.2 x W 18 x D 14 cm This beautiful casket of rectangular form is richly decorated with the characteristic geometric patterns of the Embriachi style. The intricate geometric patterns are fashioned by juxtaposing lighter and darker pieces of wood, (colored) bone, horn and pewter. The lid and base are framed by a broad band of horn. When ivory became scarce in Europe due to disrupted trade routes, bone was substituted. The attention to Symmetry and balance created an harmonious visual effect Enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of the casket. The application of geometrical motifs is in Italy known as marquetry ‘alla Certosina’, named after the Certosina Church in Pavia with its famous altarpiece decorated in this way. This is ‘intarsia technique’, a term derived from the Arabic 'tarsi', which means ‘incrustation' recalling ancient mosaics made from various materials. These geometric elements not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of the caskets but also demonstrate the versatility and skill of the artisans in creating multifaceted works of art. ‘Alla Certosina’ became famous through the Northern Italian Embriachi family who achieved a particularly high standard in working in this technique. Venice in particular was known for the production of these luxurious boxes. The caskets, hexagonal or rectangular, surmounted by a lid decorated in several registers constitute the secular, albeit equally renowned component of the workshop’s production, in addition to mirror frames and various everyday objects. The method of fabrication of those objects was based on two concepts that underlay pre-industrial production: standardization and modularity, thanks to a distribution of skills according to the different phases of fabrication. even the realization of the marquetry motifs (in the form of ingots from which portions of the desired size were cut) were therefore entrusted to various specialized craftsmen, as were the assembly phase. Today better known thanks to the extensive research work recently carried out by Michele Tomasi, this workshop owes its name to its founder and owner, the Florentine Baldassare Ubriachi (or degli Embriachi), a merchant and banker established in the Tuscan capital before he settled in Venice in 1395. Together with sculptor Giovanni di Jacopo, who directed the workshop, from the last years of the fourteenth century, Baldassare oversaw a production that was truly original, and still easily recognizable today, comprising monumental altarpieces and various objects, primarily triptychs and caskets. The precise location of the workshop is unknown, except that it originated in Florence and in ca. 1431 there was apparently a workshop in Venice, in the area of S Luca. They employed local workers specializing in 'certosina' (inlay of stained woods, bone and horn), and the workshop produced items carved in bone (usually horse or ox) with wood and bone marquetry. The geometric decoration of Embriachi caskets reflects the artistic complexity and attention to detail that characterized their work. this inlaid casket is a testament to the skill and artistry of the Embriachi family and serves as a stunning example of the decorative arts of the late Middle Ages. Related Literature : E. Berger, Prunk-Kassetten: Europäischen Meisterwerke aus acht Jahrhunderten / Ornamental Caskets...

Pale green stained shagreen covered Art Deco box with bone trimmed hinged lid raised on ball feet. The bottom stamped "John C(?) ______(?) & Sons, LTD."

Fine 18th century ebony and bone inlaid table cabinet with geometric and line inlay on eight drawers with turned bone knobs and standing on turned e...

A very well crafted tessellated horn and wood veneer trinket box in the style of R & Y Augousti, circa 1990s. The piece is in very good condition and measures 4.75" W x 4.75" D x 3.2...

Art Deco shagreen covered wooden box of dark green color and with a bone lid lift.

Decorative keepsake, jewelry box clad in geometric horn and bone tiles, some with hand engraving, lined in wood. A great addition to any desk or coffee table.

This striking 1970s storage box showcases a dynamic battle scene between a lion and an elephant, expertly rendered in early bone. Designed in the Art Deco style, the box features fin...

Excellent condition with wear consistent with age.

English octagonal hinged black lacquered tea caddy with gilt stenciled figural pagoda, decorative foliage motif, original hand chased lidded in...

Tessellated horn jewelry box by Maitland-Smith.

Victorian Miniature Black forest Antler Casket 1860 A marvelous antique rustic casket. It is made of wood, veneered with antler pieces. On top an antler plaque...

A high quality and most elegant French 19th century Louis XV st. Ormolu and Tortoiseshell box. This truly stunning rectangular box is raised on four scrolling Ormolu acanthus leaf le...

3 nice Victorian trinket or snuff boxes. One is oval and made of horn with Silver inlay. The next is a long oval out of some exotic horn and has a hinge on top, and a portion lifts o...

19th century boulle casket-type letter box by Halstaff and Hanover. The exterior is finished with Ornate boulle inlay on all sides in gold and red. A del...

Exuding the quiet elegance of the Georgian era, this exquisite antique box is a miniature treasure of 19th-century craftsmanship. The piece is masterfully crafted from a rich, beauti...

Mexican cabinet. Made of tortoiseshell, pen-engraved and wood. Possible Oaxaca or Puebla, 17th century.

Tortoise cigarette and match box with sterling mounts. Priced per box. We also have numerous other tortoise boxes and accessories. Feel free to call or email with questions.

Antique Chinese bone and copper mounted box. Chinese, 19th century. Measures: height 13 cm, width 26 cm, depth 14.5 cm. This fine Chinese box...

Elegant, exotic, and unmistakably refined, shagreen has long captivated those with a discerning eye for luxury. Derived from stingray skin, this richly textured material first appear...

An English tortoiseshell box on ivory ball feet. Complete with all original interior, no key. England, circa 1800s to 1820s.

Vizagapatam box, India, 19th century. This highly decorative and unusual Anglo-Indian table box features rustic workmanship that adds to the character and charm of this unique Sout...

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...

Oval Snuff Box, c. 1860, of multicolored horn. Fine condition. 3" l., 2 1/8" d., 3/4" h. This item includes restricted materials and cannot be sold outside of the contiguous United S...

Cheveron patterned keepsake, letter box made from dyed orange and natural bone. Box has a wood lining.

Art Deco shagreen covered wooden box in unusual coral red color with ball feet and bar lid lift.

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...

Hand Crafted keepsake/desk box featuring hand cut and polished grey and red bone tiles over a wood box.

19th century English Regency Mahogany sarcophagus form tea caddy with satinwood and holly wood seashell inlaid top. The flame mahogany top framed by twin...

India, probably made in Gujarat for Portuguese Goa, late 17th/early 18th century The tortoiseshell laid over gold foil, and the interior with red lacquer and possibly later added re...

1960s Handcrafted Bone Inlaid Trinket Moroccan Wood Trinket Box. Handmade artisanal mid century inlaid trinket decorative lidded Moroccan box. This hexagonal shaped decorative box ha...

These three antique handcrafted inro cases, are a wonderful collection of Japanese Sagemono (hanging object). These inro have several sections stacked ...

One absolutely gorgeous decorative box by Enrique Garcel 1980s. In two tone tessellated horn and brass bands surrounding it. The brass hinges make this box extremely sturdy with good...

Made of rosewood, this antique tea caddy is distinguished by its porcupine quill detailing. Featuring elements of ebony and ivory dots, the hinge lidded box...

Steam pressed decorative, dimensional horn tiled keepsake/desk box - a great addition to any dresser or book shelf.

A circa 1930's English engraved bone box with landscapes. Measurements: Height: 6" Width: 12.5" Depth: 8.5"

The case with geometric pattern design. Two drawers with etched bone panels and carved drawer moldings. Bun feet. With key.

This striking vintage octagonal box features an exquisite tessellated bone inlay design, exuding a chic bohemian aesthetic with a touch of global influence. The alternating black and...

A lovely bow front tortoiseshell tea caddy inlaid with mother of pearl flowers and topped with a silver badge. English, circa 1870.

A scintillating Sapphic scene adorns the cover of this rare erotic snuff box. Set into the top of this burlwood and tortoiseshell container, this high...

Fabulous Indian box made of bone and pierced brass with a wood bottom.A very nice design. Turn of the century, India.

Tortoise shell decorative box with bun feet. We have other tortoise boxes similar in form that would be a lovely collection. Feel free to call or email with questions. Priced per b...

English Georgian Tortoise shell hinged sewing box with a gadrooned molded edge lid, fitted tufted interior, and resting on the original silver plate winged paw feet. Early 19th Century

A fine antique pictorial enamel and underbelly-cut tortoiseshell singing bird box, Circa 1910, Going-barrel movement, Soft streaks of light throughout this fabulous case... When wound and start/stop slide moved to the right, the bird emerges through the pierced and tooled gilt grille, moving bone beak, wings and body from side-to-side to continuous synchronized birdsong. With the bird displaying...

Green tortoiseshell tea caddy from England. With two interior covers raised on four silver ball feet. Circa 1870.

A lovely pair of Victorian horn perfume travel containers descended through a prominent New England Family. These two have pretty graining and are in generally good condition. The fi...

An antique Russian sewing box made of bone, dated 1828 on the lid. Decorated with an etched trailing foliage pattern and topped with original green pin cushion. Lined with original g...

Set of 2 Anglo Indian boxes. Both early 20th century with bone and faux tortoise decorations. In overall good condition. The bone of the back from the larger box is absent and some s...

A dutch tortoiseshell box with two engraved silver plaques Amsterdam, 1691, with maker's mark of Steven des Rousseaux (1654-1733) H. 5 cm Diam. 12.5 cm Note: Steven des ...