17th Century Boxes

17th Century English Jacobean Carved Oak Bible Box. Period Jacobean solid dark oak bible box from the 17th century. The front is beautifully carved wi...

A Highly Important, Early, and Quite Rare 17th Century Italian Pietra Dura Hardstone Inlaid Box, Most Probably from the Grand Ducal Workshop. This rectangular Italian casket is con...

17th Century Italian Ebonized Inlaid Milanese Table Cabinet. Cabinet is an exceptional rectangular box-form cabinet veneered in richly toned ebony and rosewood, lavishly inlaid with ...

A jewelry box of rectangular form with domed and corniced top and base plinth of stitched leather. Featuring gilt tooled leather covering all around and elaborate hand-tooled scene...

A Chinese Huanghuali document box with original brass mounts. Features a rectangular lid with ornate cut-out brass corners, brass bound down a...

A fine example of a money chest or cash box with steel engraved figures on each side and an intricate locking mechanism under the lid, typical of metalwork coming out of a host of ci...

A diminutive William and Mary Kingwood/Princes oyster strongbox or Coffre Fort, circa 1680-1700, England. This small scale example is adorned with highly decorative gilt brass stra...

Early 18th / late 17th-century chest / strongbox. Possibly VOC. Chests of this type were mainly used for the safe storage and transport of valuables. This example appears to be Dut...

A fine example of a diminutive burled walnut vargueno, collector or valuables cabinet, with molded cornice and drop front, opening to a multi-drawer ...

A very charming late 17th century French Coffre - Box crafted from beautifully patina'd leather. A wonderful piece to serve as a jewelry box or to adorn any table top.

A very fine and interesting late 17th century English work box or travelling case English Circa 1680 Of conventional form with slightly domed lid, this piece has acquired a magnifi...

A wonderful example of an English coffre fort or strong box in oyster kingwood veneer, with brass hinges and straps, with the front opening to three hidden fitted drawers. Dates to t...

A stunning 17th century Italian leather covered wood trunk covered in brass nail heads, some spelling out a word on top, and with iron strap hinges a...

A good antique English, Charles II (Carolean) period carved oak bible or document box, circa 1680. Such boxes were particularly popular in the 17th century, when printed bibles were very expensive and a treasured family possession. The bible was most likely the only book owned by a family and was also the means of recording births, deaths & marriages which would be written on the flyleaf or endpapers. They were also used to protect other important documents and valuables and were brought to colonial America by early settlers. This bible box dates shortly after the English Civil War & the brief time that England was a Republic (known then as the Commonwealth) under Oliver Cromwell. The box typifies those Puritan values, simple six plank construction with a hinged lid enclosing a storage area for a bible or important documents. The front of the box having a carved foliate twin lunette design with a hand cut steel lock & hasp above, the box is robust & solid & for it's 350 or so years it is in very good condition! This very early antique carved bible box...

Sea captain's box with iron fittings 1680/1720 colonial.

A 17th century painted Armada chest with a finely engraved steel lock plate with Maidens, flowers, and a brass central boss. The outside is painted with a green background and floral...

A handsome Continental rectangular iron-bound bullion (or strong) box or coffer chest of patinated walnut from the Renaissance 17th century, featuring a paneled exterior with decorat...

The iron coffer, fully original in every part of it, was forged and handcrafted in German in the 1610. Complete with key. Full working iron mechanisms. It ...

Early Japanese Lacquer Incense Box (Kogo) Late 17thc. Of rectangular form with soft corners, decorated with a diaper pattern in gold lacquer on a brownish black ground, with pewter r...

This superb Indian spice box is of a larger scale than normally seen. It is highly decorative and original. It is made from a solid block of dense woo...

A charming 17th century ebony and kingwood cabinet with turned columns to the corners, the fall front opens to reveal a set of drawers and arched mirrored centre. The lid also housin...

Rare Nuremberg wrought-iron casket, dating from the early 17th century. Rectangular in form, it is constructed from riveted iron plates and fitted with a slightly domed lid, topped w...

With a domed hinged lid and bail handle over a conforming case decorated overall with figures in Renaissance dress. Bun feet. Provenance; David and P...

A fine example of an English needlework casket from the Charles II period (1660-1685), with silk work exterior panels depicting various figures and animals, a top mirrored compartmen...

A dwarf cassone with hinged top with chip carved edge over a paneled case with central keyhole, arcaded carved base.

Magnificent Louis XIV period messenger box, late 17th early 18th century. This pretty box is made of leather-covered wood decorated with copper nails on the front and top of the box....

A fine and rare 17th-century William and Mary period olive oyster lace box of perfect proportions. 1680-1700, England The cross-grain moulded top is entirely covered in well-placed ...

Exquisite 17th century Spanish Colonial tortoiseshell box, beautifully decorated with intricate silver piqué inlay in a repeating design across the surface. The craftsmanship is exce...

COUNTER CASH 17th Century Flemish in walnut wood with inlays, consisting of two drawers and a drawer. Signs of use. Dim.: 31.5 x 44 x 27 cm good state

Spanish Colonial inlaid bone and faux tortoiseshell domed top box. Original hammered iron hinges. Circa 1680-1740. Excellent condition and very rare.

Rare and precious Venetian domed case made of richly lacquered and gilded wood, early 17th century, depicting "The Conquests of Venice." Caskets like this one are more unique than ...

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

A fine and rare large parquetry inlaid 17th-century William and Mary period olive oyster lace box. 1680-1700, England The cross-grain moulded top is ent...

Silver mustard pot / Antique sterling sliver seasoning pot Antique sterling silver mustard / glass lined seasoning pot 1919 Beautifully crafted ant...

A fine burr wood and inlaid casket with original metal work and great colour and patina, possibly German or Swiss, the burr timber is what we would call field maple and is banded in ...

Description: Gold snuffbox with enamel garlands surrounding a depicted young woman figure, profusely defined fleur-de-lis, plumes, and asymmetrical engravings on the reverse. Metal: ...

Small rectangular ark with a flat lid, with a lock of golden metal worked (crown on two facing lions, located on a garland of great size, and all around a symmetrical composition wit...

17th century Chinese porcelain blue and white cosmetics box from the Hatcher Collection decorated with a phoenix. The phoenix is painted with its wings outstretched, its tail flutter...

A 17th century Malines alabaster and ebonised wood coffer or casket with engraved inset panels, arches and columns. The interior has a marbled paper lini...

Hinged top, decorated overall with incised carving, lock plate and side handles.

A fine and rare 17th-century William and Mary olive oyster floral marquetry lace box, circa 1685. England The cross grain olive moulded and holly banded top is centred by an oval of...

A good antique English Charles II period carved oak Bible or deed box, from the late 1600s. The box is made of typical six plank and joined pegged construction, the box with a hinge...

A 17th century cutlery box with the original leather, metal hardware and interior.

Description: Gold snuffbox with enamels and Taj Mahal profusely in relief, perfect friezes, guilloche reverse and hinged lid. Metal: Gold Origin: French Mark: Fleur-de-Lys Weight: 13...

Rare and valuable ebony-plated domed case with rich gilt bronze decoration and central jasper medallion. Italian Renaissance manufacture from the early 17th century. The production...

17th century leather knife box converted to a letter box with original brass hardware, sitting on brass ball feet. Fitted interior lined with 18th century silk fabric. In very good...

A fine example of an early 17th century Italian wooden casket or box, possibly pine, with slightly vaulted lid covered with red silk and adorned with appliqued foliate velvet with em...

Leather trunk Spanish, 17th century Boiled Leather, wood and iron Measures: 22 x 53 x 32 cm. Provenance : - collection Metz-Noblat, Château de Clevant, France Rectangular trunk of the form and size of a small suitcase with wrought iron hinges and lock-plate. Wood, covered with leather, cut and embossed with every surface of the thick cow hide covered in interlace, zoomorphic features. The construction method is boiled leather, often referred to by its French translation cuir-bouilli: a process used to change flexible, vegetable-tanned leather into rigid, moulded objects. For shaping of the vegetable-tanned leather, heat and moisture were used, as indicated by the term boiled leather. No written medieval sources describing the production of decorated cuir bouilli objects survive, so knowledge of the process relies on the important studies of the Scottish leather historian John William Waterer. A large range of methods, materials and techniques could be used in various combinations. The vegetable-tanned leather, made supple with moisture and heat, was stuffed, shaped and nailed to the rigid wooden coffer support. The stuffing material was probably modeled beeswax or stearin wax. To shape the leather, to create its topography, « Cushions » were made by lacing a thread through an awl hole and attaching the flexible leather and stuffing to the rigid wooden support on the bottom. Then the decoration was done: lines were incised through the upper layer of the leather (epidermis) with different thicknesses of knives or needles. Contours were created with deep v-shaped cuts, decoration with thin incision and final details with a needle point. For the incision and pouncing stage, the leather was probably kept heated and moistened for suppleness. Once dry, the leather would be hard and rigid. the saturated leather is worked over a form, possibly even damp sand, with the pattern shaped using bone or wooden tools. Compare to metal, leather was lighter and it offered protection from cuts and punctures. Cuir bouilli objects were produced by specialist leather workers and needed skillful craftsmanship. The surface is filled with roundels shaped foliages enclosing animals, lions and peacocks. The foliate arabesques creating a vegetal connection tweet the animals create the impression of a lush verdant space . The vegetal pattern here employed in combination with geometrical pattern came from the pre-islamic artistic traditions of the Byzantine and Sasanian empires. An aspect of Islamic geometry Is the basic symmetrical repetition and mirroring of the shapes that create a sense of harmony. The decoration of this truck is inspired by the islamic « arabesque » a form of vegetal ornament composed of spirals, intertwining plants and abstract curvilinear motifs. An arabesque character is given to the birds of the decorations through extreme stylisation. This arabesque maintained the classical tradition of median symmetry, freedom in Detail and heterogeneity of ornament. The presence of the peacocks is a paradisiacal allusion: in popular Islamic literature they were among the original inhabitants of the garden of Paradise expelled with Adam and Eve. Peacock as a decorative motif may have originated in the West, despite their eastern provenance. There was an ancient belief that the flesh and feathers of peacock do not decay. This led to the peacock becoming a christian symbol for Christ’s resurrection. Renowned for their decorative wall hangings, seventeenth-century Spanish leatherworkers also produced utilitarian objects, such as this trunk. A similar trunk is on display at the Metropolitan museum of art ( 09.158.1). Related literature : Davies L. 2006. Cuir bouilli. Conservation of leather and related materials, 94-102, Oxford: elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann Grabar, Oleg. The Mediation of Ornament. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992 Gabriela Germana Roquez, "El mueble en el Peru en el siglo XVIII...

Description: Gold snuffbox with embossed mythical figures with cornucopias surrounding a cameo-shaped bust of a monarch, and a laureate reverse surrounding a monogram cartouche. Meta...

RARE IBERIAN SAFE from the first half of the 17th Century in painted and gilded carved wood decorated with plant motifs. Small defects. Dim.: 34 x 43 x 35 cm

Description: Oval-shaped gold snuffbox with floral inlays in tortoiseshell, enameled friezes, garlands, and a reverse side with profusely defined engravings. Metal: Gold Origin: Fren...

Very rare wood, iron and sharkskin domed casket on ball feet. Ornamented with iron strap work and double hasp lock. Silk damask interior. Ex collection of...

An old Japanese lacquered small box likely used to contain incense powder called Kobako, circa Momoyama to early Edo period (16-17th century). The rectangular form box with a fitted ...

This elegant Mid-Century Modern jewelry cabinet from the 1970s is a sophisticated example of luxurious craftsmanship and understated design. Raised on a slender chromed steel stand, ...

Description: Gold snuffbox with enameled reliefs and friezes featuring garlands, ribbons, and a trophy, in a trapezoidal shape with a hinged lid. Metal: Gold Origin: Switzerland Bran...

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

Banner box from the1600s of rectangular shape, resting on rounded feet. The lower band is ornately carved and notched on three sides; on the front a fine modular motif. Splendid original and working antique lock...

This charming and unusual casket injects a romantic atmosphere into any interior. It has survived in impeccable condition with acceptable wear to the painted surface which signifies its age and use. It is a conversation piece, a piece of acting history, bought by Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier...

C1680 oak bible box well carved on 3 sides good colour and patination 58cms Wide x 45cms Deep  x 24cms High

Rare William and Mary walnut glove box on later stand - exceptional quality with aged patina - featuring elaborate walnut oyster veneered top and walnut veneered sides - the interior of the box lined with hand quilted floral silk Lampas fabric...