18th Century and Earlier Boxes

Trimmed in elegant yellow gold is this polished English agate snuff box. Distinguished by the dynamic patterning of the agate, the exquisite vessel i...

Incredible hand-painted scenes inspired by Rococo master Antoine Watteau cover this magnificent Meissen porcelain box. Displaying romantic courts...

An antique 18th century Bilston or Battersea enamel muffineer or sugar shaker. A very rare form! With a pierced, domed top, raised gold decoration, and cartouches of floral spr...

A wooden box with polychrome and gilded "pastiglia" relief decor. Italy, XV century, decorated with scenes from the life of a martyr. Length: 15.5 x 10.4 x 9 cm. Provenance: Dutch private collection Overall in good condition for its age, some small defects to the decor and possibly some retouching to the polychromy, ball feet presumably of later date. Pastiglia [paˈstiʎʎa], an Italian term meaning "pastework", is low relief decoration, normally modelled in gesso or white lead, applied to build up a surface that may then be gilded or painted, or left plain. The technique was used in a variety of ways in Italy during the Renaissance. White lead pastiglia was a north Italian speciality, produced between about 1450 and 1550. Six workshops were identified by Patrick M. De Winter, although their location remains uncertain; the Workshop of the Love and Moral Themes, whose products seem the most numerous, was possibly at Ferrara, where the painter Cosimo Tura began his career gilding caskets. Venice is also thought to have produced them. Other workshops identified by De Winter include the "Workshop of the main Berlin casket" and "Workshop of the Cleveland Casket". The subjects were typically classical, drawn from both mythology and Ancient Roman history (especially the early period covered by Livy), but biblical ones are also found. Compositions can often be shown to be borrowed from another medium, such as prints or bronze plaquettes...

A splendid 18th c. Italian architectural model featuring a gessoed and gilt hemispherical dome on a circular entablature supported by a gessoed colonnaded facade with relief carved g...

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...

From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this Georgian Oval Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of elongated Oval form veneered in Harewood with Box...

A splendid Dutch-colonial Sinhalese ebony two-door cabinet with silver mounts Sri Lanka, Kandy, 2nd half 17th century, the mounts later The cabinet with a central drawer with hidde...

Antique 18th Century Exceptional French 18k gold & enamel snuff box, a circular snuffbox crafted in solid gold, adorned with blue, green, and white enamels, further enhanced by gold ...

A rare and unique church collection box from Northern Italy. Beautifully constructed from thick planks of walnut with intriguing carving detail. A wonde...

The dromedary in overall good condition with scattered light black pitting overall, wear to floral relief decoration on lid where it sits, possible loss/repairs to ears. Provenance T...

A fine lacquered and gold leaf Nagamochi dating from the late 18th century or early 19th century. The exterior of the trunk and its gilded metal fittings are decorated with a folia...

A large Indian Colonial ‘Vizagapatam’ pen-engraved bone inlaid ebony box Masulipatnam or Vizagapatam, 2nd half 18th century H. 10.8 x W. 47 x D. 34 cm ...

India, probably made in Gujarat for Portuguese Goa, late 17th/early 18th century The tortoiseshell laid over gold foil, and the interior with red lacquer and possibly later added re...

George III solid burr yew wood box with original spurred carrying handle and standing on bracket feet, the interior with three dividers and lined with original marbleized paper.

This fine wood lacquered wood case is painted both on the sides: there is the elegant portrait of a pretty woman on one side and on the other side, a natura...

Gold Étui in Original Case Jacques Martin Petitjean Circa 1777 Expertly engraved entirely of yellow gold, this remarkably rare Louis XVI-era étui is a work of art. Resplendent colum...

A fine 17th century and later floral marquetry box with hinged lid.  

Antique folk art box, a so called Forskrin which was used when travelling for storing documents and valuables around the late 1700s. Made in nor...

18th Century Creamware Red-printed Tea Caddy, circa 1765-75 The creamware tea caddy or teapoy is rectangular in form with large panels to fr...

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...

Mid 18th century Scandinavian baroque oak iron bound box circa 1720. Characterful oval shaped box profusely covered with iron edging and strap work.  This piece has taken on a great...

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...

A Very Rare 18th Century Padouk Wood Rectangular Tea Caddy Of Rectangular Form, Having Original Brass Handle To Hinged Top Enclosing Divisions, Raised On Elegant Original Brass Claw ...

An early Japanese lacquer Maki-e decorated kobako (small storage box) circa 18th century (Edo period). Based on its form and size, this kobako was possibly used as a Chabako to store the accoutrements for chado (tea ceremony). The lidded box is of rectangular form with bevel design on all edge that softens the appearance. The entire surface was densely covered with a background of nashiji. Elaborate Maki-e techniques were used on each side to showcase a distinct landscape or floral design within a cartouche panel. On the surface of the lid, a mountainous landscape rises from the edge of the water. The poetic composition is akin to a traditional ink scroll...

This luxurious Louis XV-period gold snuffbox was crafted by master French goldsmith Germain Chayé. Formed of 18-karat yellow gold, this exceptional box d...

Late 18th century Scandinavian metal bound box circa 1790. Rare baroque inspired strong box with 3 locks on the front.  Quite likely to have been a box of some importance during it'...

Dimensions - H: 1 3/4in W: 3 1/2in D: 2in This Mid 18th Century Porcelain and Bronze Box by Meissen is truly a spectacular piece and is of the highest quality! If you look at the p...

A Very Good Quality 18th century, Georgian Mahogany Rectangular Tea Caddy, Having Original Brass Handle To Hinged Top, Enclosing Divisions, With Unusual Glazed Panels To Front Bearin...

An English Georges III period walnut box from the early 18th century with slanted lid and brass hardware. This exquisite English George III period walnut box from the early 18th cent...

A Good Quality George III Period Mahogany Cutlery Tray Of Exceptionally Rare Large Proportions, With Elegant Pierced Carrying Handle And Divisions. This lovely quality piece of ant...

English, mid 18th century. A great neoclassical example of an English community tobacco keeper. These traditional boxes are made of lead and design...

SHIPPING POLICY: No additional costs will be added to this order. Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included). The cover set with an enamel panel...

A French oval perfume-scents box from late 18th century. This is a fantastic and very rare late 18th century necessaire box for perfumed scents, created in the kingdom of France dur...

Magnificent layers and inlays of multi-colored mother-of-pearl cover each side of this breathtaking German snuff box. Each incredibly detailed scene is framed by finely engraved yell...

With Tuscan Columns & Fan Inlay. From our Tea Caddy collection, we are pleased to offer this Georgian Harewood Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of octagonal shape with a Harewood veneer ext...

Very funny little snuff box with a text about Etimologie; the true learning or real learning, on the lids outside and a hidden erotic motive on the inside of the lid.

18th Century or Older Italian Renaissance Style Carved Verdigris Marble Table Box  This exquisite 18th-century or older carved Verdigris marble table box epitomizes Italian Renaissa...

This fine sterling silver box is a piece of high craftmenship. All the surfaces are finely engraved with rich Baroque decor. It is a little jewel of handmade work. It was a jewel bo...

Beautifully designed and highly portable, this French domed top trunk was constructed by hand with a wooden body enveloped in chocolate-colored leather. The trunk, which dates to the...

This late 18th-century Swedish wooden box is a captivating piece that effortlessly transports us to a bygone era. Crafted in Sweden during the final decade of the 18th century, it ex...

An 18th century Georgian English Bilston Battersea enameled snuff or patch box, the motto reads, “In Memory of a Friend.” An example of Memento Mori, which translates from the Latin,...

c.1800, England, Regency brass inlaid rosewood lap desk in the manner of George Bullock. Rectangular box with double-hinged lid, opening to tooled na...

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 fine antique French or German porcelain snuff box. Dating to the 18th (or possibly early 19th) century. Decorated throughout with...

A Swedish Baroque box with original ironwork, key and big strong perfectly working lock dated (forged in the iron) 1752. This special shaped pine wood box, bought in the region of "...

Studded trunk. Wood, leather, metal. Spain, 18th century. A small chest or trunk with a rectangular base and a curved lid, decorated on the outside with a leather cover and a serie...

Mid 18th century Swedish pine baroque metal bound box circa 1740. Good quality oval baroque period decorative box.  Profusely decorated and bound by iron strap work, edging and hing...

A French Provençale Louis XV period miniature apprentice commode from the early 18th century, with lift top and cabriole legs. Born in Provence during the reign of King Louis XV, thi...

This antique and fine lacquered wood box, is painted on both the sides with an elegant portrait of a woman and on the other side a dancer. The piece will be delivered with its certi...

An English small-sized wooden box, circa 1770-1800. This antique box from England has been lovingly hand-carved with four quartered-wheels at each inner corner of the central panel, ...

The soft paste porcelain figure with chinoiserie decoration.

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

An exceptional 17th century Marriage Trunk - Malle - from the Provence region of France. Soundly constructed from wood and clad in leather. Beautifully ...

Yellow lacca povera angel box. Late 17th century chest with early 19th century lacca povera decalcomania decorations with angels, birds, lions, flowers, and trees; with original hard...

An Important & Beautiful George II Gold Mounted Etui Made in London circa 1745. This exceptional gold box has a slightly tapering rectangular form with a shagreen exterior inset wit...

Antique China Wood Pencil Box Chicken Cock Figth Imerial Court Scene Top, 18th C Beautifully painted. Additional information: Material: Wood Type: Box Region of Origin: China Date...

Spanish Renaissance casket, 16th century In carved, polychrome and gilded wood decorated with a vase with horns of plenty, heads of cherubs and fruits. In the lock a shield with two ...