Indian Boxes

Decorative jewelry box in tessellated exotic tigers eye with velvet interior.

Anglo-Indian glove or trinket box from Vizagapatam of rectangular form with sloped top. Made from sandalwood with vertically ribbed horn veneered sides and starburst ribbed lid with ...

19th century Anglo-Indian sandal wood box, Sadeli mosaic box fitted with various compartments finely hand-carved with the Taj Mahal. Of sarcophagus form ...

This seemingly simple wooden vase is a design object of infinite beauty and elegance that can be placed in either an antique or a modern or contemporary setting. They are Indian arte...

Charming Anglo Indian box crafted in tropical hardwood. Clad in tessellated bone and hand decorated with shrubbery, tools and windows.

Hand tooled cast metal incense stick holder in a Snail Shaped form. Vintage cast brass incense burner holder. A censer, incense burner, perfume ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely, super decorative antique Islamic Anglo Indian Sadeli Micro Mosaic Card Case A wonderfully orig...

Asian antique Beaten Brass Betel Nut Pandan Box, Northern India. Beautiful antique hand hammered Asian round brass betel with a lid and delicate engravings with floral design handle hand crafted by skilled artisans from Northern India. Indian Beaten Copper Betel Nut Pandan Box with hand hammered beaten floral and incised decoration used to store betel leaf, lime, tobacco and the nut from the areca palm. This mixture of ingredients when prepared and placed in the mouth for long periods gives the user a mild aphrodisiac effect. The preparation of the betel nut with lime stored in ornate boxes with several smaller internal containers was popular all over Asia and is still a common practice in Myanmar and India and among the hill tribes of many S. E. Asian countries. Engraved with intricate designs on the lid which has a carved floral design handle and a latch in front for opening or closing the box and for safekeeping. Nicely hand-hammered with intricate details. Please check photo #5, there is about 1 inch damage area on the side of the box. Museum quality Asian Hand-hammered decorative Islamic brass folk art metalwork collector treasure box. Measures: Diameter 7 in. x Height 4 in. The box has a rich, deep brown patina. Quality of Mughal style. A pandan was used to store the pan, or betel quid after it had been stuffed and rolled ready to eat, rather than for the individual ingredients. The chewing of betel is an ancient Asian tradition comparable to tobacco in the western world. Betel consists of three main ingredients: the areca nut, betel leaf and lime paste. Betel was, and still is enormously popular throughout Asia and plays a major role in the entertaining of guests, in courtship and marriage, and in the traditional etiquette of the royal courts, where it often forms part of the state regalia.[1] Research on several pandan boxes has been published by Zebrowski.[2] Brownrigg, H. Betel Cutters...

This exquisite antique box from 19th century India is a true treasure with its rich patina and traces of green paint. The brass studs add a real touch making it a genuine statement p...

A beautiful unique Indian motif box with a lid. This piece would be fantastic for storing cigars, tv remotes, or miscellaneous items on a dresser or coffee table. The top of the box ...

Whimsical silvered metal feline handcrafted with a folky charm that is hammered and etched in a decorated floral design that unexpectedly opens as a trinket box.

An Indo- Portuguese brass-mounted hardwood and Indian Wood marquetry cabinet, Goa. Gorgeously made with hand-cut hardwood and the finest quality of othe...

Box Duke with all structure in solid brass and stainless steel in old silver plated finish. Box with lid.

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Indian silver card case; an addition to our diverse Asian silverware collection This fine antique Indian silver card case has a shaped rectangular form. The anterior surface of this case is embellished with a fine and impressive chased decorated panel depicting a scene with four characters in a boat above a shaped cartouche displaying the contemporary bright cut engraved initials ‘EH’. The reverse surface is ornamented with a chased decorated panel illustrating a male and female character in period Asian dress clasping each other under a tree canopy. The shaped sides and border to both the anterior and reverse surfaces are plain and unembellished. This antique silver card case is fitted with a hinged cover. Condition This fine antique solid silver card...

Labradorite semiprecious stone box with hinged lid. Labradorite displays an iridescent optical effect (or schiller) known as labradorescence. La...

A wonderful hand-painted papier-mâché box beautifully decorated in a blue and gold. Kashmir, India, circa turn of the century.

Very large beautiful vintage handcrafted decorative round copper box with lid, latch and handle Delicately and intricately hand-hammered with geometric designs. Hand crafted by skill...

Silver cigarette case of Taj Mahal.

Nettur Petti jewellery box, Dowry box, 19th century (possibly older) With piramid shaped lid. These boxes were inspired by the temple architecture of Kera...

Moorish decorative gilt porcelain flask with lid. The bottle is shaped into soft ripples and given a radiant gold finish. Nice decorative object with a lid in the shape of a Moorish ...

Antique 19th Century Indian Kutch solid silver cigarette case of heavy gauge, featuring intricate floral repoussé work on a matted background. The rectangular case has engraved edges...

Beautiful silvered metal box of an elephant in a very traditional Anglo -Indian craft, art. Has an amazing age patina in contrast with the inside, as shown.

A fine early 19th century coromandel work box with moulded front design and fitted interior containing a super collection of sea shells. Ivory registration number 8NEDUS4R.

Unusual coco de mer tea caddy crafted with a double lobe nut found on the Seychelles Islands, it is said to have mystical properties. Featuring malachite f...

Antique Anglo Indian Hindu treasure jewelry metal bronze box. 19th century Anglo Indian antique metal box handcrafted with hinged lid with a swing ...

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

Anglo Indian hardwood campaign or dowry chest. This has brass straps, handles and large hinges on the interior. The lock has the original key. The chest is in good condition. It show...

A Latched Wooden Box with Brass Overlay Decorations, 20th Century Descriptions: The ebon rectangular box decorated with overlaid Arabesque brass motifs punctuated by nailhead boss...

Turn of the century wooden Kashmir box. Hand painted with a striking black bird in the center surrounded by red and black accented leaves.

Rare Indian coffee made of hand carved wood with metal frame. The door opens from the top and reveals the interior. Beautiful piece that could be used as a letter box or as a small jewellery cabinet...

19th century Anglo-Indian hand carved tropical wood box.

An anglo Indian workbox made of ebony. The tray lifts up from the box on the lid which is also inlaid in ivory and ebony and has a bone round disc that is signed New Bedford 1810. Th...

This box is wonderful. Colors are great orange, green, and gold. From Kashmir, India circa 1915 maybe earlier.

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...

Contemporary Indian bone box with natural cream colored rectangular box design Also available in a smaller size ( S6530 ) as well as three sizes of tra...

Paw Jar is a delightful object from the Forest collection. It has intricate brass and resin inlay in blue and pink, with an endearing leafy lid. For his debut creations, Marcanton...

An extraordinary Anglo-Indian box from Vizagapatam in fully carved solid ebony, late 19th century. Filigree ornate and sculpted floral decoration...

A lovely dome shaped bone box from India. The box can be decorative or hold anything from rubber bands to 420. A compliment to cocktail tables, shelves, bedside or on an end table ...

The dense carving of this 19th century South Indian sandalwood jewellery box is so lively and animated.

A lovely round papier mâché box that has been hand painted with a gold oak leaf design. The top has a finial. The interior and bottom are black. Circa 1960s, Kashmir, India.  

Celestial Tissue Box Black Large in Lacquer Wood & Brass, Viya By Vikram Goyal Whether it’s the dense, intricate patterns of clouds on the walls of the Badal Mahal, Rajasthan or the...

PRESENTING A LOVELY 19C Anglo Indian Vizagapatam Bone and Shell Domed Stationery Box – ‘Alice’s Box’. Made in Vizagapatam, India, circa 1860-80. We call this one: “Alice’s Box”! It has lived ‘a hard, well used and traveled life’, as is evident from the number of losses and repairs, as is obvious from the photos, especially to the faux ivory panels and bands to the top. The bonus to the loss of the frieze panels to the dome has a ‘bonus’, however, as their loss has revealed the most GORGEOUS faux blonde tortoiseshell underneath! The box is dome/casket shaped. The top has 3 bands, with the center one being the original. The 2 side bands are later ivorine. The faux ivory and hand-painted medallions on the domed lid, have been saved and they depict Hindu Gods, Vishnu and Shiva. The front and side panels are still in pretty good shape and are decorated with lac ink (indelible ink made from crushed beetles) depicting lovely floral designs. The domed lid open to reveal a series of open compartments for envelopes, writing paper etc. and one lidded panel for stamps. Inside the box are 2 paper labels: one probably being the original item ticket and the other with: ” Alice’s address is 272 Ashworth Ave, Toronto 4, Ontario”. Probably, the original owner? Hence, we call it ‘Alice’s Box’. What a journey/life this box has had! Made in India, made its way to Canada, back to Ireland and then to Texas! This is why, WE LOVE ANTIQUES...

A stunning piece of craftsmanship is this tinned box. Called a Pan Daen Mughai it comes from India. It's constructed of a copper like metal and has a pierced design. The handle and l...

A vintage hand painted papier mâché box in the shape of a frog from Kashmir India. Gold and black, circa,1960s.

Contemporary India black and white camel bone box. Tiles placed to create 3D effect. ARRIVING AUGUST

Nice Indian box in green lacquered wood dating from the end of the 20th century. It is decorated with delicate gold, black and green pattern.

An Indian rustic wooden box from the 19th century, with nicely weathered appearance, iron details and incised motifs. Created in India during the 1...

This sturdy box is slightly waxy to the touch. Giving light to the olden way of preserving carved wood. There are blue pieces to this box that give off a cultural and exotic feel. Th...

19th century Kashmiri Hand Painted Trinket Box A true work of art, this mid-19th century Kashmiri handcrafted trinket box is covered in beautiful detail. Including peacocks, birds, flowers, and foliage. The hand painted detail is raised from the box with gold gilded paint and vibrant colours. The box is hinged with its original key and painted orange inside, this example would likely have been owner by a wealthy individual considering the amount of detail and craftsmanship that has gone into creating it, A rare survivor. Size of inches approx.: H 4” x W 11.5” x D 4.5” Completely solid in structure and form, with natural wear, loss of surface detail, the paint has worn away over years with damage in areas and loss of detail, The key is present however the lock does not close. The House of...

This is a small vintage keepsake box. An Indian, teak storage case with carved finish, dating to the late Art Deco period, circa 1940. Petite a...

A MUGHAL INDIAN BRASS ENGRAVED BETEL PANDAN BOX Northern India. 18th Century. Length: 4 1/4" in. (10.9 cm.), width: 3 1/4" in., (8.3 cm.), height: 2" in.,...

Rare 19th Century Kashmir Hand Painted Inkwell and Boxes Set A highly decorative and rare example of a late 19th Century hand painted Kashmir inkwell and boxes set. Size: (inkwel...

Anglo Raj inlaid marble pietra dura decorative box with lid. Handmade marble decorative lidded box inlaid with semi precious stones, jasper and carnelian for orange. It is the same craft that you see in the Taj Mahal. Very nice fine pietra dura art...

Vintage cloisonné round trinket box, with black and gold flower and foliage decorating the lid. Made in India sticker on bottom.

PRESENTING A GORGEOUS 19C Anglo Indian Rosewood Caddy with Silver Mounts. Really nice and unusual, 19th Century Anglo-Indian Spice or Tea Caddy, from cir...

Beautiful handcrafted tinned copper decorative octagonal betel box with lid and brass latch. The metal is delicately and intricately hand-hammered and repousse with floral and geometric designs. This Vintage brass box...

Handcarved wooden trinket box with carved geometric shapes, small handmade ornamental indentations and cream white decor on the lid. Rustic organic ...

A rustic Indian antique wooden treasure box from the 19th century, with iron braces, carved rosettes and petite feet. Created in India duri...

An antique Indian wooden document box from the 19th century with incised diamond motifs and wave patterns and partitioned interior. This 19th-century Indian wooden document box is a testament to the exquisite craftsmanship and rich heritage of Indian artisanship. Adorned with incised diamond motifs and undulating wave patterns, its surface tells a story of meticulous attention to detail and a deep appreciation for aesthetic form. The metal accents that punctuate its exterior not only enhance its visual appeal but also add to its structural integrity, offering a striking contrast against the warm tones of the wood. The interior, thoughtfully partitioned, speaks to the box's original purpose of safeguarding valuable documents and keepsakes. Today, it stands as a versatile decorative piece that could serve multiple functions in a contemporary home. It could be a rustic accent on a study desk, holding pens and stationery, or a unique storage solution on a hallway console for keys and small items. Alternatively, placed on a coffee table or bookshelf, it could store remotes or serve as a conversation-starting decorative object. Beyond its utility, this antique document box...

This is an elegant hand carved stone trinket box. This box has intricate carvings of bamboo around the entire service of the stone box. The outer layer of the carving is the natural ...