Cambodian Boxes

Silver and Tortoiseshell jewellery box in the shape of a heart with floral decoration on the lid, silver laces linking the silver parts to th...

Art Nouveau silver plated repousse tobacco or jewelry box The top, front, sides and back are beautifully cast and feature panels with images of birds and flowers Good conditio...

Elegant decorative box in the shape of a pumpkin designed by Christian Dior for his 1970s Home collection. This beautiful decorative box with lid...

Italian tooled leather jewelry box with hand-wrought sliver repousse top. Hallmarked 920 on corner of silver top. Missing key, Italy, circa 1950s.

A wonderful small-scale sculpture by James Bearden, this nubby piece floats on a plinth base and is covered in bronze giving it a visceral texture. Concealed inside is a small trinket box.

A gorgeous antique French Repousse dresser box, jewelry box, or decorative box France, Circa Late 19th Century Silver over bronze, with purple silk interior. Measures: 7.75"W x 6....

A scarce fine quality antique silver-inlaid solid brass betel nut box (Lutuan), dating to the second half of the 19th / early 20th century, hand-crafted in Mindanao, Philippines. Boxes such as this were used to store the areca nut (also known as the betel nut) which would be wrapped in a betel leaf with lime paste and other ingredients, often tobacco, for chewing. Similar to the European tea caddy, these boxes often served as a way to impress while showing off ones wealth. Betel chewing was prevalent in the southern Philippines as in much of the rest of Southeast Asia. Wealthier Maranao families on Mindanao were able to afford elaborate silver-inlaid brass betel boxes such as this example. Such boxes were used to show off to guests and from which they were offered betel and the other component such as leaves and lime to make up the betel quid. Rare large size, most extant examples of such boxes tend to measure around 5 inches in length. At slightly more than 7.75 inches the example here is larger than most. The distinctive decorative box features a very heavy strong-box like rectangular shaped chest form with canted corners, copper handles, and a conforming hinged lid, lifting open to reveal an interior divided into three compartments covered by four hinged lids. Each of these doors is inlaid with silver in stylized orchid flower patterns. Exceptionally executed throughout, the arabesque silver inlaid exterior is decorated to the top with a large orchid motif within scrolling obid-obid (stylized rope) borders. The front, back and sides are inlaid with sets of stylized tail feathers of the sari-manok bird beneath which are unusual, highly stylized whimsical zoomorphic faces that appear like cat or tiger faces. (Such stylisation is accounted for by Southeast Asian Islamic preferences to avoid the overt and this potentially idolatrous representation of animal and human forms. Designs such as these are drawn from a local design repertoire that has its origins in wood carving. Although the spread of Islam in the Philippines began in the 14th century, mostly through the influence of Muslim merchants from the western Malay Archipelago, decorative arts in this design remain exceptionally rare. This lutuan represents a fine example of Islamic metalwork from the most eastern outreach of Islamic art and civilisation: Mindanao island being significantly further east than even China – artwork from Islamic Southeast Asia remains chronically under-represented in the world’s major collections of Islamic art. PROVENANCE / ACQUISITION Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, established 1983, Austin, Texas. References Brownrigg, H., Betel Cutters...

Chinese elephant box ambitiously crafted in wicker with carved wood tusks, feet, and lid handle. From the noted Shanghai collection.

Collection of six Italian leather boxes. Mid 20th century. Measures: Largest box 7.5" x 3.25" x 1.75. Smallest box 2.5" x 2" x 2".

Art Nouveau repoussé copper box, circa 1900. Art Nouveau style box, 1900, embossed copper on a wooden interior, red glass cabochons, with key. D...

Mid Century Wicker Seal or Sea Lion with a tight and intricate woven construction. Having glass eyes and a carved wood removal lid that opens to reveal secret storage. This Seal bear...

This exquisite decorative object can be used to store small personal objects or small food items. It was crafted entirely in silver by skilled artisans in the shape of a pumpkin, whi...