19th Century Boxes

French Napoleon III Jewelry Box in Black Lacquer with Asian Decor, 19th Century. A square jewelry box with ribbed edges, decorated with gold courtie...

19th Century Rosewood and Brass Bound Mens Grooming Box With Internal Mirror and Drawer. Inscribed CDB to brass front mount. No key

PERFUME BOX WITH LID French Napoleon III 19th Century in ebonised wood, tortoiseshell and gilded metal. Interior with three golden glass bottles. Defects of age Dim.: (box) 11 x 1...

A fine novelty fruitwood tea caddy in the form of an apple. lathe turned and with a soft honey patina, restoration to the lid at the hinge. England...

A rare Rectangular Mid 19th Century Spice Box in Mahogany with original brass handles, from Copenhagen in Denmark. This Spice box from "Östergades Materialhandel" from the Danish cap...

An English oak decorative box from the 19th century with carved dog on the lid, stylized foliage on the front and partitioned interior. Immerse yourself in the delicate craftsmanship...

Rare Tunbridge Ware Form Sewing Compendium From our Tunbridge Ware collection, we are delighted to offer this very rare Tunbridge Wear Sewing Compendium. The Sewing Compendium modelled as a tower from the Brighton Pavilion features the iconic minaret turned in Sycamore (aka white wood) and a large globular body with hand-painted details leading to further turned faces and the hand-painted windows upon a stepped base. The Sewing Compendium opens in two locations one just below the first dome revealing a pin cushion and the second just above the windows revealing the Sewing tools including a Tunbridge Ware thimble and bobbin. The Tunbridge Ware Sewing Compendium dates to the Georgian era during the reign of George IV circa 1825. Brighton Pavilion, The Royal Pavilion and surrounding gardens are a Grade I listed property and were the former Royal residence located in Brighton, England. It was built in 1787 in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales who became the Prince Regent in 1811 and then King George IV in 1820. It is built in the Indo-Saracenic style prevalent in India for most of the 19th century. The current appearance of the Pavilion which has various domes and minarets, is the work of architect John Nash, who extended the building starting in 1815. George IV's successors William IV and Victoria also used the Pavilion but Queen Victoria decided that Osborne House should replace the Pavilion as the royal seaside retreat and therefore the Pavilion was sold to the city of Brighton in 1850. Indo-Sarascenic refers to a cross between Indian architecture and Muslim architecture.  Minarets means beacon in Arabic. In Islamic religious architecture, the tower from which the faithful are called to prayer five times each day by a muezzin, or crier. Such a tower is connected to a mosque and has one or more balconies or open galleries. The inspiration for the minarets features on the Brighton Pavilion are in homage to these types of finials.  John Nash (1752-1835) was one of the most prevalent British architects from the Georgian and Regency periods. He was responsible for the design, in the neoclassical and picturesque styles of many important areas of London. He was financed by the Prince Regent and by the era's most successful property developer, James Burton. Nash's most famous designs were the Brighton Pavilion, Marble Arch and Buckingham Palace.  Sycamore is a member of the Maple family, found in Europe. It is light yellow in colour and is often a very clean wood, with a straight, fine grain. The wood is often pippy. However, these pips are usually a very similar colour to the rest of the wood making them hardly visible. Georgian, a period in British history dating from 1714-1837, the Georgian era after the Hanoverian kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. Tunbridge Ware Tunbridge Wells and Tunbridge in Kent, England became popular in the 17th Century for their therapeutic waters. By the 18th century, Tunbridge Wells was a hugely popular Spa resort. Shops and stalls were set up to sell local work of distinction to visitors as souvenirs. Many of the original boxes were decorated with all sorts of different kinds of designs. Many of the Tunbridge boxes...

English Georgian Tea Caddy with Inlay and Interior Lid, 19th Century

Elegant vintage Limoges 22-karat gold trinket jewelry boxes. French vintage Limoges porcelain in cobalt royal blue with fine gold decor. Marked on base as “Limoges France" Porcelain D' Art ”. Beautiful cobalt blue porcelain with 22-karat gold hand painted with with the classic courtesan scene of a man and woman in the Louis XVI period attire. Perfect gift for your special someone. One small box. 6 x6 cm / 2.32 x 2.32 inches One piano box...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning original circa 1880 Burmese hand carved sewing box with the original contents Ple...

Baroque style brass-mounted Japanned casket, late 19th century, with domed and molded top with rocaille-cast brass handle, above a convex shaped body o...

A fine and very decorative Victorian era (late 19th century) jewelry box of quarter sawn oak, designed in the historic tradition of fortified strong boxes, clad in studs and metal st...

With Twin Caddies & Hand Cut Glass Sugar Bowl From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this rare Regency Cuban Mahogany Tea Chest by Robert Wright. The Tea Chest of ...

19th Century swedish folk art bentwood box, with nice patina. Owner marks at the top and bottom, KB 1848. Good antique condition with historic knocks, marks, scratches and wear as is...

Large and museum quality hand-carved walnut wood, Victorian Era, Black Forest art, liquor tantalus. This magnificent Black Forest drinks box, dates from circa 1880. The beautiful ...

PRESENTING A GORGEOUS 19C Anglo Indian Highly Carved Padouk and Sandalwood Sadeli Mosaic Sarcophagus Sewing Box. Made in Bombay, India circa 1860-80. Box made of sandalwood with highly carved padouk wood reliefs and panels on all sides. Edged with bone and ebony veneers and glorious sadeli mosiac, 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...

Discover the epitome of refined elegance with our extraordinary English Sheffield silver pate covered round shape tea caddy / biscuit box. This exquisite piece seamlessly blends fu...

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 magnificent, fine and impressive, large and rare antique sterling silver cockerel sugar box; part of our continental ornamental silverware ...

19th Century Indian Chest with Wooden Frame Covered in Embossed Brass with Handles

19th Century Indian Chest with Wooden Frame Covered in Embossed Brass with Handles

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely exquisite ornately hand carved Antique Italian box depicting stallion horses circa 1840 A v...

Shaped as an Apple From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this superb Georgian Apple Treen Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy carved from Treen as a novelty Apple with a button stalk, shaped body and shaped cut steel escutcheon. When opened the Caddy reveals traces of the original tin foil lining for housing Tea leaves. The Apple Fruit Tea Caddy...

Japanese lacquered box decorated with birds and foliage signed Lacquered inside and outside Late 19th Century Without key Some scratches and losses Ideal for storing jewelry.

Very magnificent glazed ceramic tobacco box, an original from the end of the 19th century, by Bernhard Bloch, from Bohemia / Austria. The box is wonderfully elaborated with a base t...

Rustic tine pine work box of large proportions, circa 1850. Shaped and metal bound edges and hinges. Original handles and paint. Hinges have broken, which could be fixed but pr...

An Exceptional and Highly Important Micromosaic Gold Mounted Jasper Snuff Box, most probably by Gioacchino Barberi with the box likely by Moulinié, ...

Vesta matches box designed by Napoleon Linder. Very rare hinged box, created in Paris France at the silversmith atelier of Napoleon Linder. This is a vesta matches box crafted in ...

An Exceptionally Fine French Serpentine and brass marquetry inlaid Cave a Liqueur or Tantalus Box with mother of pearl. French circa 1870 Primarily veneered in fine thuya wood of...

Kitchen box, Pot in Majolica. Vegetal Decor pattern. Green color. It has been made in France circa 19th century.

French Cranberry Glass Box. The box of oval form with chamfered lid and brass mounts decorated throughout with a central band of enamelled greek ke...

19th century marquetry fruitwood desktop box circa 1890. Good quality desktop box covered with marquetry on all surfaces. Sloped front with decorative star panel.  Top opens to reve...

This is an antique desktop stationery box. An English, oak correspondence case in Arts & Crafts taste, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1890. Striking Victorian craftsmans...

Antique miniature pill box in silver, gilded inside. Decorated with a rose on the lid. Birmingham 1817-1818. In excellent condition. Marked. Dimen...

Beautiful antique jewelry box in original wood finish, metal hardware and round legs. Great metal carving details especially on the legs.

An exemplary George III chinoiserie and floral design penwork jewellery box, dated 1816. This superb example in flawless condition is incredibly well decorated onto sycamore, depic...

A Rare and Important Large Regency Period Country House Gesso Decorated Casket This most interesting large scale casket is highly decorative. It stands on four raised cast bronze an...

PRESENTING A RARE AND DESIRABLE 19C Anglo Indian Highly Carved Padouk and Mosaic Folio Cover. This is a VERY RARE piece of Anglo-Indian and British Victorian Colonial history! ...

A large and intricately decorated Empire lacquer work sewing box. Early 19th century Europe. The box is decorated with pastoral scenes and an intricate pattern on the edges. The ins...

The bombe shape of this small tea canister is made of silver plate and covered with faux tortoiseshell. The domed lid is topped with a ball knop and the piece sits on four silver pla...

A 19th century French Provençal fariniere, or decorative box made of walnut with fine hand-carved decoration of a large flower urn. Waxed patina. This...

Victorian Burr Walnut Small Keepsake Chest With Engraved Brass Details & Cream Leather Supports 1800's

A rare Japanese bark tree large cloisonné box on metal from the Meiji period. Usually bark tree cloisonné was on porcelain (totai Shippo) A very attracti...

A nice antique cigar box, made of oak, decorated with bronze and copper mounts. Central plaque depicting horses. Lifting system. Space for 30 cig...

A beautifully detailed French, brass mounted, marquetry and inlaid burl, fruitwood, and kingwood dresser box. The top is domed and the interior lined with original velvet. Bass bandi...

Large turn-of-the-century German 800 silver figural spice box. A bird grips a gnarly branch with scaly talons. Sweet and downy with tucked-down wings. Head detachable. Marked. Weight...

A 19th century French Provençal fariniere, or decorative box made of walnut with fine hand-carved decoration. Waxed patina. This beautifully crafted household item was commonly given...

A Beautifully Worn Late Edo Period Wabi Sabi "Safe"/Storage box. Originally used to store money & valuables. Heavily patinated cedar & chestnut. Perf...

An Antique English blonde tortoiseshell card holder with locking hinge. Please view all photographs for damage.

Fine Moser Casket Jewelry Box with Hinged Bronze Mounts Standing on Dore Bronze Feet and Matching Swinging Handles Lid and Base are Both Framed in B...

Very nice early wooden box, made in Austria, Central Europe. The box was made in the Gründerzeit period, how we call it in Europe, in this case around 1890. There are some interest...

Tabacco box, Pot in Majolica. Characters Decor pattern. Brown and blue color. It has been made in Germany circa 19th century. Signed Western Germany.

English Regency Tea Caddy with Inlay and Interior Lid, 19th Century

Fine Unusual Bohemian Casket Jewelry Box with Hinged Bronze Mounts Dore Bronze Swinging Handles Lid is Framed in Bronze Clear Glass with Milky...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver vinaigrette modelled in the form of a book; an addition to our silver boxes collection. This exceptional antique Victorian sterling silver vinaigrette has been realistically modelled in the form of a book. The body of this antique silver vinaigrette...

Made in Switzerland in approximately 1850, this key wind brass cylinder music box is set in a burled walnut case with an inlaid shield in the top and has a gl...

A hand painted red japaned ink stand with two French molded glass inkwells. The top with lifting compartments for pens, and stamps, the bottom with a pul...

Silver Sugar box, Vienna 1867-1872 An Austrian-Hungary silver sugar box with hinged lid. On the lid a rose with leaves as knob. A rectangular box with beautiful round scalloped body...