South Asian Boxes

An exceptional and richly jeweled Indian Mughal-style carved white jade casket, dating to the late nineteenth century / early 20th century circa 1890–1920....

An exceptional and unusually elaborate Indian Mughal-style jeweled silver, gold-inlaid, and polychrome enamel box, dating to the mid-to-late nineteenth century, circa 1860. Distingui...

This beautiful box is crafted from cast aluminum with a polished brass finish. Smooth sides are paired with a removable lid with a stylized tulip motif in raised relief. Ideal to giv...

Lapis lazuli hinged boxes. Mined in Afghanistan, they were then cut, polished, and created for us in India. Lapis has been prized since antiquity for its ...

A small Sinhalese Porcupine Quill Box with a sliding lid. The panels of porcupine quill panels arranged in a chevron pattern, bordered with ebony and bone inlaid banding. Ceylonese ...

Mughal style pietra dura marble box - hand made - featuring an over-all floral and vine design with lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl and black onyx inlay - signed on the base and the li...

Dutch Colonial ebony box with silver mounts, large silver hinges and the original steel lock and key. This rare box was likely made in the Dutch East India possession of Sri Lanka, o...

This is an antique Campaign correspondence box. An Anglo-Indian, teak and brass bound Colonial traveller's writing case, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1880. Captivati...

VERY DECORATIVE VIZAGAPATAM BOX Vizagapatam, India, 19th Century. Rustic workmanship will only add to the decorative appeal of this Anglo-Indian footed domed casket in ebonized woo...

This Ivory Leather Box runs long and narrow, the domed lid and the sides bound in ivory leather and marked out with rows of brass nailheads set at even intervals. The lid curves over...

Inlaid table cabinet with six compartments and two handles. This is a beautifully decorated crafted box reflecting the craftsmanship and cultural influences of Goa during the colonia...

Superb stationary box Probably Kashmir, Indian sub-continent The finest of printed paper applied to softwood. Blue painted interior. Remnants of a makers label on the underside F...

Eyecatching Ceylonese rectangular porcupine quill box with decoration of ebonised casing and striking porcupine quills and infills of white and black bone 'dots' Sliding lid reveals...

An Anglo Indian Rectangular Porcupine Quill & Bone Box, 20th Century Description: Constructed from wood, featuring naturally shed porcupine quills inlaid between decorative band...

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

Anglo-Indian Mother of Pearl Inlaid jewelry Box. 1940s Victorian Anglo Indian box in silver, bone and mother of pearl Inlaid. An elegant Anglo Indian bon...

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 ...

Lapis lazuli hinged boxes. Mined in Afghanistan, they were then cut, polished, and created for us in India. Lapis has been prized since antiquity for its ...

Vintage hand-carved wooden storage box with dragon relief, fitted with brass-tone accents, from the mid-20th century Asian export tradition. The box features high-relief dragons swee...

Mounted with Silver From our Sewing Box collection, we are pleased to offer this Solid Coromandel Anglo Indian and Silver Sewing Box. The Sewing Box of...

Beautiful 19th century large hand-crafted decorative round polished brass box with lid delicately and intricately hand-hammered with repousse floral...

Exquisite beauty of this antique Islamic Kashmiri Papier-Mâché Tea Caddy, a stunning storage box with a lid and copper metal lining. This hand-painted gem features intricate miniatur...

Antique Persian Khatam Micro Mosaic Inlaid Jewelry Box with Miniature Polo Scene, circa 1940s This exquisite Persian Khatam Kari trinket box is a rare example of masterful micro mosaic marquetry, handcrafted in the 1940s using the ancient Persian art of inlay. Featuring an intricately detailed geometric design and a miniature hand-painted equestrian scene on the lid, this museum-quality piece is a stunning representation of Indo-Persian and Moorish craftsmanship. Khatam Kari, or Persian marquetry, is a centuries-old decorative art that flourished during the Safavid dynasty. It involves the meticulous inlay of thousands of tiny pieces of wood and bone into intricate, repeating geometric patterns—each symbolic of harmony and cosmic order. The top of this box is adorned with a finely rendered painting of royal figures on horseback, possibly princes engaged in a ceremonial game of polo, echoing the refined court culture of the 19th-century Persian and Mughal aristocracy. The box’s micro mosaic surface is covered in richly detailed star and polygon motifs typical of Khatam and Sadeli mosaic traditions. These patterns require precise mathematical planning and exceptional artisanal skill, resulting in a surface that is as intellectually complex as it is visually stunning. Details: * Origin: Asia Indo-Persian * Date: Circa 1940s * Materials: Inlaid woods, camel bone, hand-painted miniature * Style: Islamic Art, Moorish, Anglo-Indian, Micro Mosaic * Dimensions: Height 1.5 in. x Width 6.5 in. x Depth 4.25 in. * Condition: antique condition with minor wear consistent with age These boxes were traditionally used to store writing instruments or jewelry, and today they serve as timeless collectors' pieces, suitable for display or thoughtful gifting. Comparable examples can be found in major Islamic art collections, including the Doris Duke Museum of Islamic Art. Keywords: Persian Khatam Box...

19th century Anglo-Indian wooden box fitted with various compartments finely hand carved. The top is finely hand carved with the Taj Mahal. The interior with removable hand carved nine-lidded compartments, the front cover has a mirror, the whole exhibiting very fine workmanship. This fine late Victorian Anglo-Indian box from India is in great condition for it age. A beautiful example of an Anglo-Indian fine art...

Beautiful white marble jewelry box with floral inlay, made with different semi preciouses stones such as Malachite, Lapis Lazuli and Carnelian. It was made in India in the 1960's.

Impressive antique Anglo Indian lidded box handcrafted in porcupine quills and ebony decorated with bone dots. The interior has nine bone decorated lidded compartments in a removable...

A gleaming maroon straw marquetry box with a gold foiled base. Compact, refined and irresistibly cosmic in its allure. The finishes, colours, size can be customised according to spec...

Handcrafted marquetry Moorish wood inlay micro mosaic with miniature hand painted scene. Handcrafted khatam wooden box with very delicate micro mosaic marquetry from the ancient Pers...

Vintage Rajasthani Pietra Dura White Stone Inlay Taj Mahal India Style coaster plates. Rajasthani inlaid stone marble decorative set of 7 small roun...

Antique Hindu brass decorative box. This is an antique Mughal style brass Indian ornate locking trinket box container. It has six compartments that lock ...

19th Century Anglo-Indian Faux Tortoiseshell, Carved Bone and Ebony Inlaid Jewelry Box with Elephant Motif An exceptional 19th-century Anglo-Indian jewelry...

Set of three Regency Anglo Indian rosewood boxes with brass mounts. These graduated boxes nest into each other. Handsome and useful additions...

Asian decorative trinket lidded box in metal silvered hammered and etched with organic floral design. Anglo Raj style oval form betel box. Dimensio...

Beautiful handcrafted decorative round tinned copper Mughal Indian box with lid, latch and handle. Antique South Asian Mughal Round Tinned Copper Box with L...

This petite keepsake box with a swivel lid is crafted in the tradition of Indian bidri-ware, with a dark metal body decorated with simple silver inlay. Composed of a zinc and copper ...

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...

Impressive antique Anglo Indian box crafted in mahogany, clad in tortoise shell, and ambitiously decorated with bone. The inside has a mirror and red felt lining.

A BRASS MUGHAL INDIAN OVAL BETEL PANDAN BOX Northern India, early 19th century. Length: 5 1/4" in. (13.3 cm.) height: 3 1/4" in. (8.3 cm.) width: 4" in. (1...

A beautiful, rustic antique Indian merchant's cash box hand crafted out of teak and accented with brass corner brackets, handle and medallions. The key turns and the lid slides open ...

Beautiful and Minimalist Jewelry box. This rare beauty is a unique box or decorative box that brings minimal shape with organic beauty. Constructed of wood panels that have been ligh...

1920s Hand Painted East Indian Decorative Box. An antique Rajasthani Indian hand painted wood box, early 20th century. The box is handcrafted of wood and feature a hinged lid that can be opened and closed to access the contents inside. Hand painted colorful Indian box with lid depicting human figures and flowers. Style: Anglo Raj, Paint, Wood, Hand-Crafted Place of Origin: India. Anglo Raj Vintage Wooden Box Hand Painted Indian Chest Trinket 1920s. Large Trinket Box Folk Art Hand Painted Colorful Asian Jewellery Chest...

This box is a vintage Indian camel bone jewelry box. Rectangular shape with hand hammered brass details. Cover has pierced leaf pattern details and bra...

A distinctive, handcrafted decorative box from India, made of wood and hand-painted with traditional scenes inspired by Oriental miniature art. It features exquisite polychrome detai...

PRESENTING a LOVELY 19C Anglo Indian Bombay MOP (Mother of Pearl) Sadeli Mosaic Trinket Box from circa 1875-85. Gorgeously detailed and hand-crafted ‘sadeli mosaic’ inlay, from the Bombay Area, with deep greens with silver, pewter, mother of pearl, bone and ebony in geometric patterns. The box case, is made of sandalwood but completely covered in MOP, bone, faux ivory, ebony and mosaic inlay. Edged with faux ivory and banded with a different pattern of sadeli mosaic. Some minor damage to the top (repair is obvious in pics) and ivorine replacements to some edging, but it still a BEAUTIFUL BOX and of real QUALITY! The mosaic work is FABULOUS! Box opens to reveal its original blue velvet lining. It sits on 4 (recently added) silvered button feet. 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...

Very fine 18th century Indian Macassar Ebony traveling writing box with Tutenag metal hardware, the vividly grained case with rare alloy trim, the rectangular form opening to make a ...

Rare and remarkable Anglo Indian box turtle tea caddy, the well marked upper shell hollowed and intricately filled with a star inlaid panel, the base with a lidded box, all in exotic...

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...

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

Antique Rajasthani Shekhawati Merchant's Footed Chest Box India 1900's. Early 20th Century Indian carved wood storage cash footed box used by merchants in ...

Beautiful blue Lapis Lazuli and Carrara marble stone jewelry box. Created from genuine blue Lapis Lazuli, this box is low in profile and rectangular in form. This lovely jewelry or trinket box features a lid that fits onto its base. Both of which are completely covered in this beautiful blue stone. The interior of the box's base and lid, are created using Carrara marble. The lid features stays, which retrofit into the base, and allow the top to hold to the base without sliding or moving. The exterior is flanked with the gorgeous richly hued blue lapis lazuli. How we would style it: This blue stone box...

This lovely vintage mid century modern soapstone box is from the 50's. The muted colors of pink, orange tangerine, yellow tan, black and gray make a great presence in any room for je...

A superbly hand-painted Mughal miniature lacquer box, created in the refined Indo-Persian artistic tradition and signed “Nangua”. This exquisite octagonal decorative box features a f...

Collection of 19th century Kashmiri items A highly decorative collection of 19th Century hand crafted Kashmiri objects including 6 different shaped boxes, a working lamp and urn....

This Linen Book Set of 12 gathers volumes wrapped in ivory linen, the cloth matte and untitled and drawn tight over each cover so the weave shows along every spine and fore edge. The...

This Rebound Leather Book Set numbers twelve bound volumes in burgundy, green, teal, brown and tan, each spine printed and titled in gilt between tooled panels. The bindings are leat...

Charming petite antique Anglo Indian lidded box handcrafted in indigenous hardwoods clad in tortoise shell and decorated with elaborate lacy bone designs, featuring an etched and pai...

Antique Anglo-Indian Kashmir Hand-Carved Wood Jewelry Box, Velvet Lined, circa 1920s A beautifully handcrafted Anglo Raj Kashmir wood trinket ...

Fine Cloisonné Enamel Silver Pill Box A finely crafted kidney-shaped sterling silver pill box, delicately enamelled throughout in vibrant shades of cobalt blue, turquoise, burgundy...

This Dome-Top Tooled Leather Box curves its lid into a low dome over a case wrapped entirely in tooled leather, a repeating fleur-de-lis pressed across every panel including the top....

A beautifully handcrafted pietra dura round marble trinket box, showcasing the centuries-old decorative art form perfected in both Mughal India and Renaissance Florence. The lid feat...