18th Century and Earlier Boxes

Extremely old box that is covered with leather and metal decorations. Rare find. France, circa 1600-1700 Weathered and some losses.

Beautiful and rare example of late 18th century Italian master blacksmith craftsmanship, this antique studded safe with typical all-around hobnails and great wrought iron details, pr...

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING Green tortoiseshell tea caddy dating to the Georgian period, circa 1790 during the reign of George III. The exterior is finished in vibrant green tortoiseshell and mounted with silver stringing, a vacant silver initial plaque and matching silver escutcheon. The interior is faced in boxwood and fitted with two tortoiseshell lids, each mounted with turned bone handles. When removed, the lids reveal twin tea storage compartments retaining visible traces of their original lining. The tea caddy remains complete with a working lock and tasselled key and is a rare example of late eighteenth century tortoiseshell tea caddies.

A Rare Louis XVI Enamel and Gold-Mounted Rock Crystal Snuff Box By François-Vincent Garand, Paris, 1760/61 An exceptional and highly refined Louis XVI gold-mounted snuff box, master...

A rare and exceptional Baroque period Flemish or Dutch red tortoiseshell, bone, horn, ebony, and rosewood lift-top chest with drawer, circa 1725, mounted on a later stand. 17th/18...

An exceptionally rare Irish George III hand cut full lead crystal single tea caddy of rectangular outline with canted corners and outstanding quality, first quarter of the nineteenth century. The finely chased silver mounted rim and hinged cover, hand cut with three bands of lozenges on a plain ground, decorative star cut base underneath. Condition: Exceptional condition for such an early piece, with no losses or clouding inside, silver mounts are unmarked but test positive for silver. Wonderful age wear underneath on base. Lock is present but key does not turn. Back and front views are similar. Measures: Height: 5.25” (13.5cm). Width: 3.75” (9.5cm). Depth: 3” (7.5cm). Location: Dublin City, Ireland. Stunning and rare Tea Caddy...

Beautiful handmade oak silver chest. It was made to hold valuables such as silver coins, jewels or maps. This was the precursor to the modern day safe. It is due to its age beautiful...

The soft, matte texture and eroded wear of this petite porcelain box suggest it spent many years submerged in saltwater, likely excavated from a sunken trade ship carrying ceramic ex...

A Swedish Baroque box with original ironwork, key and working lock dated (forged in iron) 1752. This pine wood box, bought in the region of "Dalsland" in Sweden, not far from from No...

Swedish Baroque Box in Elm and Fruitwood, Early 18th Century A rare and charming Swedish baroque box dating from the first half of the 18th century, crafted in elm and fruitwood wi...

George III octagonal mahogany and boxwood inlaid box with unusual Price of Wales feather inlay, the edges strung in boxwood or holly, retaining pleasing old finish and original lock,...

Rare Venetian 16th century Italian traveling jewelry chest profusely decorated in Arabesque black and gilt decoration featuring rare specimen stone drawer fronts in a Palladian archi...

A fine antique English South Staffordshire or Battersea enamel table snuff box. With a pink ground and white enamel latticework decoration thro...

An Exquisite Masterpiece of Mughal Splendor: A Rare Gold-Mounted Jade Box with Diamonds and Semi-Precious Stones Introduction to a Regal Artifact: This exceptional jade box, hailing from the storied Mughal Dynasty, is an unparalleled exemplar of imperial artistry and luxury. Acquired from the prestigious Spink & Son of London, this artifact transcends its material beauty to stand as a significant piece of historical and cultural importance. With its rich provenance and intricate craftsmanship, this jade box embodies the opulence and refined tastes of one of history’s most powerful and influential empires. Craftsmanship: The Art of Mughal Luxury: At the heart of this piece lies a finely carved jade...

A fine antique English Battersea Bilston table snuff box. A very rare round form! With a pink ground, floral spray decoration, and gilt bronze mou...

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...

This antique Buddhist shrine box was crafted in the Edo Period (1603-1868). Known in Japan as a “Zushi,” it served as a small sanctuary to enshrine Buddhist figures, scriptures, or ...

“God in the heart, Love in the arms, Makes the bed pleasant and warm, Since 1713.” Translated in English ,-those poetic and symbolic in nature, charming German inscription are encirc...

A rare and exquisite circa 1780 English, possibly Irish, George III period bottle caddy or tabletop cellarette in the form of a two-storey ashlar Palladian mansion house, the boxwood...

A very beautiful, fine quality, inlaid Tea Caddy from the English Georgian, Sheraton Period, Circa 1780. The Tea Caddy is all handmade with very fine quality features; * Beautifully...

A Finely Carved and Metal Mounted Casket ‘Minnekästchen’ with original lock plate Wood, steel, vellum lining Superb colour and patina Upper Rhine Germany 14th Century Size: 11c...

An Extremely Attractive 18th Century George III Period Burr Yew Wood Octagonal Tea Caddy, Having Superbly Executed Chequered Strung, Herringbone Banded And Satinwood Oval Panelled De...

Wooden coffret, call minnekästchen, engraved with a dog, a hare and foliage with polychromy remains. During the Middle Age, the hare is a symbol of fertility, joy and represents the Christ...

Impressive hand-painted Folk Art box from the Mid-18th Century. The box has been hand-painted in rusts, reds and greens with roses and flowers. Original paint and metal hardware. Won...

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 ...

A rare and most impressive 18th century European parcel ebonized rosewood hardstone bronze pewter bone ivory marquetry tabletop cabinet casket. Of exceptionally fine quality, lavish...

A good quality Georgian 18th century mahogany rectangular tea caddy having replacement brass axe drop handle to hinged lid enclosing cavity with attractive inlaid decoration throughout. Tea was of course a very precious commodity throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and the purpose of a tea caddy was not just to preserve the and extend the life of the precious tea leaves...

Mid-late 18th century cast brass tobacco box, English. Eight sides with conforming cover with bell metal finial. 5 1/8" x 3 5/16" x 4.5" h. Whitehall Antiques is a family business t...

Vintage Umbrella Stand in Burl and Gilded Finish - 1990s An elegant umbrella stand with a refined and timeless design, made in the 1990s. The frame features briarwood panels with wa...

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 ...

Antique oval jewelry box with brass decorated framework and hardware. This charming box features a blue velvet interior for rings and other jewelry pieces. Perfect sitting on a vanit...

This exceptional 15th-century Venetian painted casket is a rare example of early decorative art from the late Medieval to early Renaissance period in the Republic of Venice, Italy. H...

An extraordinarily rare and visually striking 16th-century Venetian iron treasure coffer, showcasing the height of Renaissance artistry and engineering. Crafted in the early to mid-1...

An attractive and well figured, late 18th century Square rosewood tea caddy having boxwood Stringing and key escutcheon with original brass Hinges to...

East Meets West: Rare Chinese Export "European Subject" Porcelain Snuff Box Circa 1750–1760 A superb mid-18th century Chinese Export porcelain snuff box, finely painted in famille rose and puce enamels, featuring rare "European Subject" decoration. The rectangular box, after a European silver form, features a slightly domed cover and is fitted with its contemporary chased gilt-metal (ormolu) mounts and hinge. The exterior walls are painted with a continuous frieze of European figures—gentlemen in 18th-century frock coats...

A magnificent antique fall-front box with scarce Medieval period bronze lockplate and hasp attributed to Jacopo and Lodovico del Duca. Featuring an important Lockplate and Hasp designed circa 1570, exact date of manufacture unknown, attributed to the late 16th century Roman foundry of Jacopo 1520-1604) and Ludovico (1551-1601) del Duca, with no apparent signatures or hallmarks which is typical of the era, but we did not remove it and inspect the back. Boxes such as this hand various uses but were frequently used by merchants as a writing box - slope during travel and trade, as a small coffer - strong box for storing important documents, money and valuables, as well as a jewelry casket. This hand-crafted European drop-front box dates to the late 19th century, signed L'PUPLET, adorned with a significantly older Italian fine quality cast bronze lockplate with intricate Renaissance era reliefs, including figures, coat-of-arms, and elongated hasp, mounted on a chest of drawers form solid wooden case, wrapped in exotic Japanesque embossed and gilded metallic paper, having a locking fall-front panel with original key included, opening to reveal three interior drawers, all lined in red velvet. circa 1875 The visually striking textured wallpaper covering the box's exterior displays bamboo, birds, and flowers in the oriental Japanesque taste popular in Europe in the 1860s and 1870s following the forced reopening of foreign trade with Japan in 1858 and the ensuing Japonisme craze. To the interior of the fall front panel is a gilt circular stamp with the somewhat obscured name of the workshop or store (likely) "L'PUPLET" and the city "Burxelles" which is in Brussels, indicating the box was likely made or retailed there. Marks to box: L'PUPLET, BRUXELLES Inscription: 13, 14, 15 (Interior drawers inscribed on the verso of their backboards in script from top to bottom, respectively) Provenance / Acquisition: The origin of the elaborate lockplate with hasp on the front of the piece is more intriguing. At least 76 lockplates of this design have been recorded in major museums, private collections, and in the antiques trade across the Western World. For example, lockplates of this pattern are in the collections of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the State Museum of Prussian Cultural Heritage in Berlin, the Museum Cicico in Bologna, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Dallas Museum of Art in Texas, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Museo di Palazzo Venezia in Rome, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.[1] Specialists in Renaissance bronzes, especially Charles Avery...

Rare and very beautiful Swedish travel box with stunning patina and hand forged iron details. Working lock and key ( bronze key from the 19th century). Sweden, circa 1750-1800. Weath...

18th century inlaid mahogany Georgian serpentine knife box circa 1790 Good quality decorative box, serpentine fronted and an inlaid with a shell patera to the hinged lid. Many other...

A Japanese lacquered wood fubako (a box to store document or small scroll painting) circa late 18th century of Edo period. The rectangular box features a deep lid with rounded corners and recessed mid-edge and a lower box with two bronze medallion rings and tasseled silk ties. The surface of the fubako was elaborately decorated with hiramaki-e and a low takamaki-e on a mottled Mura-nashiji background. The motifs on the lid depict branches of Japanese pine with finely rendered needles on the lower part; on the upper part, it showcases fruited persimmon branches. Two different shades of gold fundame were used to contrast the design and augmented by scattered gold kirigane to highlight some of the leaves. The design continues and cascades down to all sides of the lid as well as the walls of the box. The two bronze medallions appear original to the box and the silk ties show significant fading from the age. This Fine fubako is signed on the lower wall "Kanshosai" in Kanji with a kao mark. All the trims were finished in gold fundame and the interiors a dense nashiji in gold. Kanshosai is the mark of the distinguished lacquer artist Lizuka Toyo I who also signed his work "Toyosai". He was active in the second half of the 18th century during Edo period, employed by Hachisuka Shigeyoshi (1738-1801), daimyo of Awa on Shikoku Island. Although most survived work bearing his marks are inros, he was also known to decorated trays and other larger objects...

Free Worldwide Shipping George III Circa 1780 From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this Antique Paper Scroll Tea Caddy. Th...

Hallmarked Sterling by William Vincent of London Dated 1779 From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this Georgian Sterling Silver Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of slight...

A Very Good Quality And Attractive Late 18th Century George III Period Satinwood Tea Caddy, With Extremely Unusual And Elegant Butterfly Inlaid Decoration To Hinged Top, Enclosing St...

An 18th Century Gothic Reliquary Casket. Possibly of European origin, this ancient treasure chest has parts dating back as far as the 17th century. Painted and gilded to all sides ...

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

Antique 18th Century Bilston Enamel Etui / Sewing Box Case, complete with contents, decorated with teal enamel and gilt Rococo cartouche containing flor...

Small round Danish late 18th Century snuffbox or pillbox featuring elaborate engravings. Very versatile piece that could also hold jewelry or small trinkets on a vanity. This piece m...

18th Century Green Shagreen and Silver Eyeglass Case with Monogram England or France, circa 1760–1780 Dimensions: 5" H × 2.5" W × 0.5" D Interior measures 3"d x 1.25 w A refined G...

A Japanese 18th Century Tsukinami-e 6 Panel Floor Screen depicts the Activities of the Twelve Months of the Year, mineral pigments on gold leaf, mounted on wood panels with 6 frames...

Known in France as a coffret à courrier, this leather letter box from the 1700s would have been used to conceal private papers or valuables. The leather of the sloped-front lid has b...

French Circular Box With Inlaid Silver Filagree Top Depicting Fox & Stork FOR USA DELIVERY ONLY

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...

Very rare and hard to find in this complete condition with as many pieces (over 35), this "Gentleman's Necessaire", or campaign "Dressing Table Box" is English and circa 1795 as per the style, and confirmed by the 18th century silver marks on items enclosed. Campaign furniture, and accessories were made to tend to the day to day needs of those traveling, most often for the upper class, the military, and those in high socioeconomic standing. A very similar Campaign box belonging to the Duke of Wellington and now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, appears on page 141 (illustration #157 of "British Campaign Furniture" published in 2001 by Nicholas A. Brawer; the leading recognized historian on the subject. The furniture and accessories were designed to be easily unpacked and packed back up again, condensed and compact for minimum storage, and still fulfill luxury "needs" for the well to do. The flush inserted brass handles on this box were designed to minimize protrusions for easier transport when traveling. The necessaire contains a plethora of instruments, utensils, storage bottles, boxes, to contain pills, medicine, potions, soap, shaving needs, snuff, beverages, spirits, tea, coffee, fragrance, incense, toothpaste, ink, and anything else necessary or wanted to maintain appearance and the "Beau Brummell" type lifestyle desired by the aristocratic gentleman. These items were housed in; screw top miniature bone canisters, fine cut glass crystal vessels with silver and silver plated tops, multiple miniature vertical wooden pocket drawers, a carved wooden lidded soap dish; all "fitted" in a beautiful brass bound and hinged mahogany box. The dressing box is neatly divided into various sections to store these implements. The center front bottom drawer is independently accessed and opened by a key lock and likely utilized for personal effects, jewelry, money, and letter writing, and diary entries.; note the fitted interior, design, "cubbies", and sections (see image). NOTE: It would be advisable to NOT use the key to lock this drawer just in case it stays locked and does not reverse, thereby creating difficulty reopening the drawer. The box maintains it's original surface and there are no restorations to any of the wood or brass mounts. A non discernible script monogram on a brass plate adorns the top (see image). Worth noting is the copious provenance accompanying this piece; the original description tag from the British antiques dealer; the "condfdential" letter by purchaser to recipient "Horace" reviewing the Dressing Box attributes and description; and finally, the Customs form for entry into the United States with Santa Barbara it's ultimate destination and a valuation of 3 pounds; less than ten dollars at that time---- 1950!!!!! (see images). Dimensions: 11" wide  x 8 3/4" deep  x 5 1/2" high Contents: implements in red bag sewing hook with shell handle second smaller sewing hook with built in swivel tool to bone handle large metal tweezers rectangular bone device with center hole small hook with bone handle silver plate corkscrew...

18th Century Mennecy Porcelain Cat Snuff Box, modelled as a cat with kittens and decorated in polychrome enamels, the hinged lid revealing a floral interior.

Beautiful and large box with inlay of various fruit woods. Baroque, early 18th Century. Working lock and key. Interior with later fabric. Wear consistent with age and use

18th century Italian painted and parcel gilt reliquary box. This lovely large Italian Baroque box is made of painted and parcel gilt wood surrounded by ...

A fine antique Georgian mahogany letter holder of exceptional craftsmanship. Beautifully shaped and richly figured in striking flame mahogany veneers, the serpentine-fronted design w...

Spanish, 18th century or earlier. An 18th century Spanish bargueno or vargueno traveling desk, used for storing documents, jewels, or sewing box. The six drawer chest is inset with ...

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 ...