19th Century Boxes

Mid 19th century rustic Swedish pine strong box circa 1850. Fine example of a small strong box which people used to keep their valuable’s safe in. Presented in a scraped back condi...

A wonderful smart mid-century modern Italian box made from red jasper stone and lined in onyx. A gilt metal hinge joins the top and bottom of the box. Red Jasper is a microcrysta...

Perfume box with crystal bottles, ca 1840 A French perfume box set, made of fruitwood with inside two crystal perfume bottles. The bottles have bot...

19th century boulle casket-type letter box by Halstaff and Hanover. The exterior is finished with Ornate boulle inlay on all sides in gold and red. A del...

French Victorian bronze and multicolored enamel cloisonne box with floral and scroll design with red velvet interior.      

Fitted Tunbridge Ware Sewing Box Interior From our Tunbridge Ware collection, we are delighted to offer this Tunbridge Ware Sewing Box. The Rosewood box of rectangular form extensiv...

Small lacquered painted box, with floral decorations in yellow, red and green, it was made in China in the 19th century.

1840s wood European document box with iron ornamentation.

This antique Victorian opaline glass jewelry casket is a true testament to the opulence and elegance of the era. The pièce de résistance is undoubtedly its exquisite floral enamel p...

This is a very good quality English mid 19th C Victorian period box or document box with fine inlaid detail, having a hinged lid with a brass swan neck handle, dating to the mid/ ear...

A Georgian Tunbridge Ware sewing box dating to circa 1840. The rectangular rosewood box is extensively decorated with geometric Tunbridge Ware mosaic inlay across the exterior and st...

Antique Italian Iron Safe with Complicated Locking Mechanism Italy, early 19th century This compact yet substantial antique Italian safe is const...

19th century French Empire cloisonne bronze jewelry casket with blue velvet interior By: unknown Material: bronze, velvet, enamel, metal, copper Technique: gilt, cloisonné, champlevé, cast, molded, metalwork Dimensions: 5 in x 7 in x 6 in Date: late 19th century, circa 1890 Style: Napoleon III, Rococo Revival, Neoclassicism Place of origin: France This richly gilded jewelry...

A 19th Century French Napoleon III marquetry box, hand-crafted of walnut and thuya burl wood veneers with ebonized trim. Fine mother-of-pearl and brass inlay with center medallion on...

French rectangular shaped Bulle de Savon White opalescent jewelry box A “bulle de savon” box formed as a rectangular shaped hinged container with softly rounded edges and a gently d...

A 19th century Mughal dowry chest with carved patterns from India. This chest wooden chest with a slanted top strengthened by metal hardware reinforcements. The front displays lightly carved geometrical friezes. A large carved geometrical medallion adorns the triangular lid. The chest rests on four conical legs. This chest opens thanks to an door on the centre of its top. This unusual item was used as a dowry chest in India. This 19th century, Indian Mughal wood dowry chest...

Very fine English early 19th century mahogany architectural model of a church, the multiple steeples flanking a faux carved slate shingled room, wh...

Very fine William IV tea caddy with mother of pearl inlay in rosewood ground, the overall sarcophagus form, having palm fronds and folia...

Stunning English Regency Sterling Silver & Tortoiseshell Card Case, circa 1815 This exceptional English Regency card case, dating to the early 19th century (circa 1810–1825), exempl...

Late 19th century chinoiserie tea tin from England.

An Early 19th Century, George III Period, Burr Yew Wood Tea Caddy Of Octagonal Form, Having Superbly Figured Veneers And Attractive Strung Decoration Throughout, The Hinged Lid Enc...

Antique Powder Flask Made of Horn with Decorations, Germany 19th Century This beautiful powder flask, crafted from natural horn, features numero...

19th Century English Blonde Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy

Spectacular pair of hand decorated large store tins from lower Manhattan C1875. Created by Empire Hardware Co from Duane st NYC. Hand decorated and sold to a local downtown business...

This charming sewing box was crafted in France around 1900, blending early Art Deco geometry with the warmth of traditional craftsmanship. Made of solid wood, it features diamond‑sha...

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...

This finely handmade 19th century walnut cutlery box is in fine condition and retains a nice mellow patina. Great for so many different uses. Super cool for outgoing mail or bills! N...

The freedom box is marked on the side in enamel stating "This casket - to contain the diploma of the honorary freedom of the city of Exeter - was presented...

For your consideration, a 19th-century English artist's watercolour box, likely made of mahogany, featuring the manufacturer's label "R. ACKERMANN" on the interior lid. The box is b...

Antique handcrafted grain or flour bin with a lift top, circa 1870. This is a beautiful, rustic bin crafted of solid wood planks with bracket feet and a hinged top displaying a desi...

An attractive antique Georgian era sterling silver snuff box. It has an ergonomic design which easily slips into the pocket it is a bowed shape and has a squeeze / push action closu...

This is an antique lidded dish made of cranberry glass. It is a type of decorative glassware known for its distinctive pink or red color, which is created by adding gold chloride to ...

Made of pine, this painted Pennsylvania 19th century box retains its rich, original green surface with beautifully worn patina from generations of use. This charming rectangular b...

This is an exquisite antique George IV Gonçalo Alves and amboyna marquetry inlaid tea caddy, circa 1825 in date. It is beautifully decorated with superb marquetry decoration to the ...

Gorgeous Tramp Art box / Jewelry box marked 1893 and decorated with brass. The box contains multiple guns & pike helmets and a lions head holding a brass ring to open the chest. ...

English, circa 1867. An unusual antique biscuit barrel or humidor. The main body is formed of pressed glass with a greek key border, paneled window and a reeded edge. The glass rest...

A charming Victorian jewellery or trinket box dating to circa 1880, beautifully veneered with individually hand-cut pieces of natural green snail shell. The hinged box is decorated ...

Regency English Penwork Double Tea Caddy, Gold on Black Ground This English penwork tea caddy is of octagonal form with canted corners, decorated overall in gold on a black ground....

A fine and impressive Japanese gold maki-e decorated black lacquer five-tier jubako with presentation tray, two lids, and the original tomobako storage box, Meiji period, late 19th c...

This is an antique loose tea caddy. An English, mahogany and velvet dual compartment case, dating to the Regency period, circa 1820. Beautiful Regency craftsmanship with a superb v...

Beautiful Victorian Burr Walnut Studded TeaCaddy Chest With Engraved Brass Details & Camel Bone Supports 1800's Would make an ideal present for any occasion.

A large rectangular box formed from green opaline crystal, its shape defined by flat planes and chamfered corners that produce an octagonal profile when viewed from above. The hinged...

Small 19th Century Palissy Majolica Pumpkin Tureen.

Regency Brass Bound Rosewood Fitted traveling , dressing box With fitted interior, containing 2 fragrance bottles. Silver lidded makeup Jars, a mir...

A Swedish original painted Folk Art box. From the beginning of the 19th century, most likely used to keep writing supplies and office materials.

An exquisite, curated collection of three 19th-century European lapidary table boxes, including two natural banded agate boxes and a fine French rouge marble footed box, circa 1860–1...

Antique porcelain dresser box with lid features sculptural squared form with rounded scalloped corners that is mirrored in the lid's outline. The box is hand decorated with a variat...

A superbly crafted circular gilt bronze box of exceptional quality, featuring a rich turquoise-blue guilloché enamel top centered with an oval medallion bearing a finely hand-painted...

Charming American Toleware Tin Box. Box is hand-painted in vivid folk art floral motifs of red, gold, and green against a deep black background. The domed lid features an oval black tin handle, and the front of lid retains the front portion of its original latch. This example displays the warmth and character typical of the 19th century decorative tinware, where utilitarian household objects were elevated through hand-painted embellishment. The floral and foliate designs were often inspired by Pennsylvania German or New England folk art traditions. Artisans and tin peddlers offered these brightly adorned boxes, trays, etc to rural families. Each was uniquely decorated, often by women, to reflect floral motifs in domestic interiors of the Federal and Victorian periods. In today's interiors, this toleware box...

A dark-brown, black antique German coffer made of hand crafted iron, particularized with griffins, torchères and tendril motifs on the wall and pinecone mode on the lid, in good condition. The small detailed decor piece represents the Empire time period...

19th century turned treen lidded box made from mahogany. This piece was expertly hand turned in England and has a lovely finial over a domed top, which rests on a shapely hand turne...

Regency Mahogany sarcophagus form tea caddy. With Brass keyhole escutcheon.

An antique Persian Qajar hand carved wooden pen box. The box has an elongated shape with rounded corners. The upper part of the lid of the box depicts a multifigural scene, the sides are adorned with hand carved floral patterns and cartouches with Arabic letterings. Antique Arabic Islamic Wooden...

An exceptional Napoleon III Globe de Mariée, dating from the second half of the 19th-century (circa 1860–1880), preserved beneath its original hand-blown glass dome. These romantic F...

Beautiful English Regency Period Chinoiserie Box with Original key sits atop original Brass feet. Penwork decoration on all sides with a flower and vine hands painted Top

This exquisite 19th-century French metal jewelry box is adorned with enchanting cherub and bird motifs, beautifully capturing the romantic elegance a...

Antique Victorian burr walnut Tunbridgeware inlaid work box, having a quality burr walnut Tunbridgeware inlaid box opening to reveal a fitted interior to the lid and a large compartm...

Antique Regency burr elm tea caddy having a sarcophagus shaped lip which lifts to reveal two lidded compartments with original turned knobs, standing on small bun feet. The colour ...

Amusing Majolica monkey pianist tobacco jar Sarreguemines, circa 1880.Rarely found complete with his lid ,he wear a costume of Oriental style, he play piano and two books are represe...

Antique English Victorian Brass Inlaid Rosewood Jewelry Box, Circa 1890-1900.