Asian Boxes

This exquisite four-case lacquered inro was dated to the latter part of 18th century to early 19th century (Edo period) and made by Shigehide. The opposite sides of the inro together features a lavish flower arrangement in a bamboo basket (ikebana). The detailed craftmanship was a true pleasure to behold. Mostly Takamaki-e (high relief) were used to texturize the delicate petals of the chrysanthemums, on which different shades of gold were used to create contrast. Raden (mother of pearl) shells were also used to highlight some leaves, rendering the piece an interesting balance of color and material. The interior was completed in a mottled gold finish. It was signed Shigehide on the bottom with a Kao. There is a small carved rabbit ojime bead...

Vintage Mid Century Moorish Sajai Box Inlaid with Agate Semi precious Stones box with semi-precious stones. Made in India, circa 1950. The box measures 1 inches high x 3 inches in di...

A beautifully decorated Indian metal box with a stone of amber on the top. 1920s or earlier There once was a fabric inside but it has disintegrated you can see it, all of the fibers ...

An exceptional Indo-Portuguese colonial mother-of-pearl veneered casket with silver mounts India, Gujarat, 2nd half of the 16th century, the silver mounts Goa or probably Lisbon Measures: H. 16 x W. 24.6 x D. 16.1 cm An exceptional Gujarati casket with a rectangular box and truncated pyramidal lid (with slopes on each side and a flat top) made from exotic wood, probably teak (Tectona grandis), covered with a mother-of-pearl mosaic. The tesserae, cut from the shell of the green turban sea snail (Turbo marmoratus, a marine gastropod) in the shape of fish scales, are pinned to the wooden structure with silver ball-headed nails. The casket is set on bracket feet on the corners. The masterfully engraved decoration of the silver mounts follows the most refined and erudite Mannerist repertoire of rinceaux and ferroneries dating from the mid-16th century. The high quality and refinement of the silver mounts and, likewise, the silver nails that replaced the original brass pins used to hold the mother-of-pearl tesserae in place indicate the work of a silversmith probably working in Lisbon in the second half of the 16th century. The Indian origin of this production, namely from Cambay (Khambhat) and Surat in the present state of Gujarat in north India, is, as for the last three decades, consensual and fully demonstrated, not only by documentary and literary evidence - such as descriptions, travelogues and contemporary archival documentation - but also by the survival in situ of 16th-century wooden structures covered in mother-of-pearl tesserae. A fine example is a canopy decorating the tomb (dargah) of the Sufi saint, Sheik Salim Chisti (1478-1572) in Fatehpur Sikri in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, north India. This is an artistic production, geometric in character and Islamic in nature, where usually the mother-of-pearl tesserae form complex designs of fish scales or, similar to the dishes also made using the same technique, with the thin brass sheets and pins, stylized lotus flowers. The truncated pyramidal shape corresponds, like their contemporary tortoiseshell counterparts also made in Gujarat, to a piece of furniture used in the Indian subcontinent within the Islamic world prior to the arrival of the first Portuguese. This shape, in fact, is very old and peculiar to East-Asian caskets, chests or boxes used to contain and protect Buddhist texts, the sutras. A similar chest is the famous and large reliquary chest from Lisbon cathedral that once contained the relics of the city's patron saint, Saint Vincent. Both match in shape, having the same kind of socle or pedestal and bracket feet, and in their engraved silver mountings, featuring the same type of refined, erudite decoration. Their differences lie in the silver borders that frame the entire length of the edges of the chest (both the box and the lid), pinned with silver nails, and on the lock plate, shaped like a coat of arms in the Lisbon example. Given the exceptional dimensions of the reliquary casket...

this large ribbed and cylindrical Japanese shell-game box with domed lid decorated overall with Maki-e (gold lacquered) foliate wreaths and stylized flower heads and incised brass mounts; raised on four splayed supports. Hokai boxes...

The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by ...

Bring a little chinoiserie to a vanity, side table, or coffee table. This pretty oval box is created from metal and has a hand painted and glazed ceramic top. The metal surrounds the...

A small square-form table with lacquer and intricate mother-of-pearl inlay design from Ryukyu Islands kingdom circa 17-18th century. Ryukyuan kingdom was used to be an independent is...

Old Chinese Opium Box in Cloisonné Enamel, decorated with Vases and Flowers. French Private Collection

Rare Asian camphorwood jewelry box from the 1950s

The REDA AMALOU DESIGN boxes echo Asian, and more specifically Vietnamese, culture, by which Reda Amalou has been inspired over time. The boxes that make up this line of accessories ...

An antique black lacquer document box with an exquisitely detailed, finely wrought design from The Tale of the Genji depicted in gold maki e across the lid. Internally, the box is de...

A beautiful antique storage box, made of bamboo, beautifully decorated with plates of gracefully embossed copper. The chest was probably made in Japan, for the European/French market...

Presenting an absolutely fantastic 19C Anglo Ceylonese lap desk of museum quality. We can safely say that this is one of the finest lap desks we hav...

Collection of Russian Papier Mache Lacquered Hand Painted Boxes All of them are signed in Russian Largest one is 8" x 4.88" x 2.25"

Beautiful 1.1 lb hexagonal box made of the fine natural lapis lazuli from Afghanistan. A round lid with elegant finial and fine carrara marble interior. St...

19th Century Hoshiarpur Inlaid Writing Box Quite simply, this is a stunning example of a 19th Century hand crafted Hoshiarpur inlaid writing box. The craftsmanship is quite amazing ...

17th century Chinese porcelain blue-glazed circular pill box from the Hatcher Collection, painted in different tones of blue with a central prunus flower on a wave pattern ground tha...

Anglo Indian rectangular porcupine quill, bone and parquetry box. The box with a hinged lid that opens to reveal embossed red velvet lining and a decorated wood panel...

A Fantastic Empire Period Early 19th Century Ormolu Mounted Russian Opaline Crystal Covered Box. Of cylindrical form the highly translucent opalescent or opaline crystal is truly ma...

Decorative Box for Cigarettes in wood brown color India

The REDA AMALOU DESIGN boxes echo Asian, and more specifically Vietnamese, culture, by which Reda Amalou has been inspired over time. The boxes that...

Inro is an ancient traditional Japanese box used to carry and store small items such as tobacco, money, paintbrushes, and other objects. The...

A pyramid shaped box having 4 graduating drawers with brass ball knobs . Made of polished pen shell which is a material that the manufacturer Maitland Smith often used. All sitting u...

Japan, late Edo, two big octagonal covered shell game boxes resting on footed stands, with makie-e decorations depicting flowering vines on a black lacquer ground, They are still in ...

Large Middle Eastern Indo-Persian Micro Mosaic Khatam Inlaid Wooden Jewelry Box. Middle Eastern Persian Sadeli micro mosaic marquetry inlaid box with geometric Moorish design. Handcrafted Khatam wooden box with very delicate micro mosaic marquetry from the ancient Middle Eastern technique of inlaying from arrangements of so many delicate pieces of precious hand painted wood, with bone around the edges. This beautiful Middle Eastern Persian, Indian Wooden box is covered with fine Moorish micro mosaic marquetry and is used as a jewelry, trinket box. Lined in deep red velvet. Dimensions: 6.5in.D x 3in.H x 10 wide. Nice Indian Mughal, Indo Persian Box...

This is an antique cleric's swing-out case. A Chinese, hardwood travelling box, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1890. Charmingly provincial box, presented in original tim...

AntiqueTibetan chest, beautifully aged painted leather with original iron hardware. Chest has a spacious wooden interior, offering a large amount of storage. Outside features polychrome painted dragons and Asian...

Anglo Indian carved mahogany cat with ebonized stripes and a curious expression, featuring a secret compartment on the bottom.

The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by skilled artisans, ultimately making each piece unique, designed in Paris and produced in the Philippines. The Wave jewelry...

Chinese Porcelain Altar Fruit Box in the form of a Peach, 19th Century. The Chinese porcelain oval box in two parts is molded in the form of a large peach. It is naturalistically c...

Antique Japanese Zogan Cigarette Case in Komai Style. This antique Japanese cigarette case showcases exquisite Zogan inlay work in the Komai style, a ...

An 18th century mother of pearl and tortoiseshell inlaid ottoman scribes box. The box covered in geometric tiles and floral design.

A Japanese ink stone box (known as Suzuribako) with exquisite maki-e decoration from Edo period (circa mid-18th century). The box features a rectang...

Dated to the mid-19th century, this petite hardwood box captures in miniature the elaborate form of a traditional Chinese altar table. Crafted of a dense hardwood, the narrow box is ...

The REDA AMALOU DESIGN boxes echo Asian, and more specifically Vietnamese, culture, by which Reda Amalou has been inspired over time. The boxes that make up this line of accessories ...

Beautiful hand-crafted polished brass footed box with with lid, latch and handle intricately hand-hammered with geometric designs and pierced with holes. Vintage pierced decorative Mughal Indian style brass box from India...

A gorgeous Kifu Paris decorative box in creme shagreen over a rich walnut base, exuding elegance and craftsmanship. The lid features an expertly crafted celestial motif, incorporatin...

Lovely 19th c Antique Meiji Period Japanese Lacquer box. Additional information: Material: Lacquer Region of Origin: Japan Period: 19th century, 20th century Japan Dynasty Period: M...

A truly fine hand-painted porcelain box with a monogram of family characters. 1820's.   

A custom made special edition Coca-Cola set of 5 miniature glass bottles. Each bottle is handprinted to portray traditional Chinese emblems such...

PRESENTING A LOVELY 19C Anglo Indian Highly Carved Sadeli Mosaic Inlaid Sewing Box. Made in Bombay, India, circa 1880. The box is made of sandalwood with highly carved raised teak wood panels on all sides, depicting temple scenes, animals and foliage. The box is in a sarcophagus form. It is edged in bone (and we can tell it is bone and not ivory, from the color and evidence of capillaries, which are not found in ivory), and banded with Bombay Sadeli mosaic and ebony veneer. The lid opens to reveal a removable tray with various open compartments and lidded compartments. 5 lidded compartments, 1 unlidded compartment and 8 holders for thimbles, etc The tray lifts to reveal a blue velvet (original) lined section, for storing jewelry etc, with sections for collars etc. The inside of the lid has a removable mirror (the mirror is missing on this one but can easily be replaced). Behind the mirror is the original green velvet lining. It has its original brass carry handles on the sides and sits on 4 silvered button feet (of recent origin). Some repairs to the exterior and condition issues (priced accordingly), but still a LOVELY COLLECTIBLE box! 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! 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...

Large Chinese black lacquered box with numerous figures and gilt detail. Chinoiserie round black lacquer and gilt painted box, made for the export market. The round black lacquer box is decorated with a beautiful scene in gilt painting. The lid of the box painted in the shanshui style, with an idyllic outdoor setting with river and mountain, Chinoiserie style landscape with architectural Asian decor, landscape figures of women in traditional kimonos, young boys playing near a river looks like a Chinese festival with food offering. The landscape studded with trees and vegetation, and some small pagodas...

Gorgeous round jewel of a red laquered lidded box having gold Asian inspired decoration with dragons and birds.

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...

Kashmiri, early 20th century. An antique black lacquer box with heavy gilt floral decoration and multi colored birds across surface.

Decorative box with hand inlaid mother of pearl shell rectangular tiles.

Small lacquered painted box, with floral decorations in yellow, red and green, it was made in China in the 19th century.

Rectangular Black and Red Lacquered Snuff Box, Signed and Dated 1971. This tobacco snuff box is richly and colorfully decorated with a winter scene showing 3 people riding a sleigh in the snow being pulled by 3 wild horses. This Soviet-era box has a strong and great condition red lacquer on the inside and fine gilded decorations running around the edges of the box. The box is signed and dated on the front cover and with hand-written "Made in USSR...

This stunning rustic Buddha box stand table is a late 19th century offering box. Significant Triangular shape box stand table set on legs carved as Naga's a...

Rectangular box with brass tacks and hinged lid set in a brass base.

This box is a japanese box, early 20th century, in a red laquer, representing a bird and a flower. This has been made in Japan.

Russian silver clutch or evening purse. This has repousse horse heads with outstanding detail in the left corner. The clutch is .875 fine silver. There is a glass cabochon for the cl...

A petite 19th century canister once used to store a smoker's personal supply of opium paste. A keepsake from a bygone era, the small box is formed of brass and provided an airtight s...

Antique Chinese lacquer decorated decorative box. This Stunning Chinese export hand decorated lacquered box is the perfect accessory for a coffee table or dressing table. Could be used for jewelry or important documents.

This exquisite and rare vintage Maitland Smith large hinged box box has a beautiful medallion on top of a black stone set into brass. The box is a beautiful combination of horn, abal...

Beautiful little box lacquered with red and black Cinnabar forming a peony decoration. Cinnabar lacquer is an Asian technique that comes from cutting an...

Late 19th-early 20th century Ottoman Empire Grand Scale Silver Jewelry Casket. Velvet lining; with a presentation case. 900 standard silver guarantee hallmark, SK mark unidentified, ...