Chinese Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Circa 1910 From our Chinese collection, we are pleased to offer this Chinese Silver Dragon Snuff Box. The snuff box of oval form having a hammered decoration to the exterior with a ...

An 18th Century Chinese Beijing enamel snuff box finely painted to the lid and sides with typical Chinese scenes, the base painted with a leafy gourd. The lid is mounted in gilt bron...

Chinese, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), 19th century. A grouping or instant collection of antique porcelain enameled salt boxes. Each box is decorated with immortal being riding the fabl...

Old Chinese Opium Box in Cloisonné Enamel, decorated with Vases and Flowers. French Private Collection

Chinese lacquer tobacco box with 24 carat pure gold decorations

Antique Chinese Opium Box in Cloisonné Enamel, decorated with Floral Motifs and Interior Scenes French Private Collection

Our Stock # 18.8982 This is a small antique lidded pot. A Chinese, carved soapstone snuff jar, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900. Charming pot with Oriental animal...

Monochrome Chinese Fish Scale cloisonne is long famed for it's high quality of craftsmanship and understated elegance. A staple of interior design...

This is a very small antique snuff pot. A Chinese, carved marble lidded jar, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900. Endearingly petite, with...

A fine and impressive antique Chinese Export Silver cigarette / card case; part of our diverse Asian silverware collection. This fine antique Chinese Export Silver (CES) cigarette/card case has a plain rectangular form with rounded corners. The anterior cover is embellished with an embossed and chased decorated iconic Chinese dragon design amidst clouds, on a matte background, incorporating a shield shaped vacant cartouche. The posterior cover is ornamented with traditional embossed and chased plum blossom foliate and floral decoration, also on a matte background. The rounded sides of this antique silver cigarette case...

Chinese Brass Box with Chinese Letter Inscriptions on the Top.

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Chinese silver vinaigrette in the form of a purse; an addition to our silver boxes collection This excep...

Magnificent Chinese snuffbox, covered in painted glass inside, with floral motifs as well as the representation of a couple of pheasants evolving in lush and colorful vegetation. ...

A heavy silver box with canted corners, the hinged cover in the style of an ancient traditional woodcut featuring a Chinese traveling figure or salesman w...

Wonderful Chinese box in red, gold and black having a Chinoiserie painted design on embossed leather with original brass hardware. There's a removable metal liner and the interior is...

A ruyi-shaped Shakudo-style erotic tobacco or snuff box, relief-decorated with silvered applied figures Possibly Jakarta (Batavia), first half 18th century Measures: H. 2.2 x L. 12.1 x W. 8 cm This box is very much in the Dutch taste, for the illustration is after a print with a legend reading “L’oiseau sans cage. Prenez, belle, mon oiseau. C’est le plus doux présent que je puisse vous faire. Pour les autres oiseaux, la cage d’ordinaire est une espèce de tombeau. Mais le mien semble prendre une nouvelle vie, Lorsqu’il sera dans la cage de mon aimable Silvie.” The erotic message is as clear as can be. In Dutch culture the verb ‘vogelen’ (catching a bird) is another word for having sex and a bird escaping from his cage indicates loss of chastity. The lady with the bare breasts, while making the sign of sealed lips to the lady behind her, who is pointing towards heaven, seems to be caressing the bird held in the sleeping man’s groin. 17th century Dutch pictures...

This intriguing Chinese zhadou is intricately carved of fine cinnabar lacquer. A work of exceptional artistry, this covered bowl is adorned with an intricately carved floral motif on all surfaces, including the cover and the wide rim. Also known as a cuspidor or spittoon, this rare container would have been used by members of the imperial family and scholar- officials at the court. Carved during the Kangxi period (1662-1722), this charming piece exhibits the high detail and charm associated with items from that period, making it a true treasure, Early 18th century (Kangxi dynasty) Measures: 6 ¼” wide x 3 ¼” high Cinnabar has been revered for its color all over the world. It has been found in the royal burial chambers of the Mayas, in the rituals of India, and in the ruins of ancient Greece and Rome. In China, cinnabar and gold were the two most important elements in alchemy. Mined since the Neolithic Age, cinnabar is the ore of mercury, and as such, it can be incredibly toxic, especially when mining. In fact, during the Roman Empire, miners at Spain’s Almadén mine in Spain were frequently exposed to mercury fumes, and the subsequent, often fatal, sickness was considered an occupational hazard. The most popular known use of cinnabar is in Chinese carved lacquer-ware, a technique that is believed to have originated in the Song Dynasty, in which cinnabar is ground to a powder and added to clear lacquer. As with mining, there was inherent danger of mercury poisoning for those who carved the lacquer, as mercury was also released into the air when artisans ground the pigments. Most antique cinnabar...

19th century Chinese cloisonné enamel brass trinket box.

Sterling silver cigar box marked Hung Chong (or Cheong) & Co., silversmiths & retailers, Canton, China, circa 1860-1930. Classic intertwined ...