Hand-Painted Boxes

Round snuff box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with fired enamel on the enameled edge with vertical stripes and fine monochrome miniature hand painted by the painter Renato Dainelli. Diameter cm. 6.2 cm high. 3.4. Weight gr. 222. Designed by Franco Salimbeni in 1967 and produced in Florence in the Salimbeni company headquarters with manual workmanship by skilled artisan artists with thick slab and large reinforcements suitable for withstanding numerous high-fire enamelled firings at approximately 750 < 800° C. Miniature is a very ancient technique which consists of painting works in small proportions. It was born for the decoration of the first letter of the paragraph of the books. Over the years, however, this technique is refined and enriched, then moving on to precious personal items. Hand-painted miniatures can be done with multiple different techniques. The most important that we use on our articles are of three kinds: 1) Fire enamel. 2) Water tempera on an ivory plate. 3) Painted on mother-of-pearl. Fire enameled miniatures: On a first layer of enamel generally white or very clear or even transparent suitably liquefied at a temperature of about 750 ° C, the chosen subject is painted using miniature colors which are as many colored crystals, ground and reduced to a very fine, almost impalpable powder washed and purified in distilled water with the addition of small quantities of deoxidizing acids which, diluted with essential oils (usually essential oil of solder), can be mixed to form a palette of colors. With very fine sable hair brushes you draw the subject starting from the perimeter and then gradually adding various layers of color. It is necessary to carry out various firings very often so that the colors harden and are not absorbed by the underlying glaze as, during the subsequent firings at 750 ° C, during liquefaction, it would spread irremediably. Hence the need to form the painting a little at a time, cooking it numerous times. Therefore it is necessary to proceed with numerous retouching, often overlapping different colors that only the painter's experience knows. A beautiful miniature needs from 20 to over 50 firings and is finished when the painter deems he does not have to further intervene. Some colors must have darker tones than others because then, by superimposing the transparent enamel placed at the end of the miniature, they fade. This transparent layer, called “fondant” in jargon, must be smoothed and polished like all other translucent enamel colors. The miniatures with water tempera colors are painted on real ivory...

Fine antique Imperial Russian lacquer Racing Winter Troika jewelry casket by the Lukutin Workshops 19th Century In exceptionally fine condition with original key The Russian lacquerw...

A fascinating pair of Japanese porcelain kogo (incense containers), crouching rabbit figures, hand painted, polychrome decorated with mon inspired symbols. The top half lifts off to ...

As found in Paris, an impressive Limoges hand painted box. The colors on this box are fantastic, the orange is painted what we would describe as Hermes orange. The gold gilt certainl...

Vintage Royal Limoges France 22-Karat Gold Trinket Round Box in Cobalt Blue. Elegant large French vintage round Limoges trinket jewelry porcelain box i...

Napoleon III Period Ebony Luxury Box by TAHAN, Paris, with Expertise. Stamped “TAHAN Fr de l’Empereur” — official purveyor to the Emperor. A rare and impeccably preserved example of ...

Mid Century porcelain keepsake/cigarette box hand decorated with a water color effect glaze depicting a horse.

Large Asian decorative wooden jewelry box with brass overlay. Large ethnic Indian hand painted decorative jewelry wood box with brass metal hammere...

An exceptional antique Chinese gold and black lacquer games box raised on four paw feet with a domed lift off cover decorated with figural landscape panels in gilded lacquer colours on a black ground. The cover lifts off to reveal five lidded removable counter boxes...

Rectangular with rounded corners table box for cigarettes in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent enamels on a radial guilloché an...

The Matchbox Series is composed of roughly 4”x 6” boxes that make direct references to iconic NYC institutions. These boxes come with slide out inserts that are filled with oversized...

Octagonal pill box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with a hand-painted miniature with fired enamel by the painter Romano Buccioni in Louis XVI style from the second half of ...

Early 19th century painted pine blanket box circa 1828. Fine example of the traditional method of storage in Sweden, utilising the plentiful pine and hand decorating. Rectangular b...

The Matchbox Series is composed of roughly 4”x 6” boxes that make direct references to iconic NYC institutions. These boxes come with slide out inserts that are filled with oversized...

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...

Japan, Edo to Meiji period, a long rectangular document box with hinged cover, decorated with a bird and a floral basket, The locker is not functioning.

Rectangular pocket cigarette case in 925/1000 sterling silver with rounded shaped lines, alternately fire enamelled. With spring opening button and lost hinge, i.e. semi-invisible. M...

Octagonal pill box in gold-plated 925/100 sterling silver with translucent enamels fired on guilloché also on all sides and with a two-tone circle on the lid. English Art Nouveau sty...

Rounded rectangular pill box in 925/1000 sterling silver with a fine hand-engraved Baroque-style design and fire-enamelled finish. Dimensions: 3.5 x 4.3 x 1.4 cm. Weight: 36 g. Desi...

19th century blue opaline glass jar from France with hand painted floral decorations on lid and base.

Exceptional table cigar or cigarette box in 925/1000 sterling silver, gold plated, and decorated with translucent two-tone striped fired enamels over guilloché engraving. Finely hand...

Rectangular table box in 925/1000 sterling silver gold plated with translucent two-tone striped fired enamels on guilloché and hand-engraved motifs. English Empire style George V. Di...

Sphere table cigarette lighter in 925/1000 gold-plated sterling silver and translucent fire enamel on guilloché, in a modern contemporary style. Piezoelectric mechanism. Dimensions d...

Highly Collectible Perfume Casket, Napoleon III Period (pre-1882), with Expertise. A rectangular perfume box veneered in rare wood, featuring a finely executed herringbone pattern. T...

Museum quality Fedoskino soviet era hand painted lacquer box, Golden Autumn, artist signed 20th Century Depicting an idyllic autumn landscape with a romantic bridge over a still stre...

Rectangular table box in 925/1000 sterling silver with translucent fired enamels on the guilloche and, on the corners, miniature of floral shoots hand-painted by the painter Romano B...

Collectible and whimsical, limited edition Limoges porcelain Halloween motif miniature trinket box is handmade and hand painted in France and fe...

Elegant vintage round Limoges 22-karat gold trinket jewelry box and e small plates French vintage Limoges porcelain in cobalt royal blue with fine gold decor. Marked on base as “Limoges France" Porcelain Limoges Castel...

Set of 4 playing card suit-shaped boxes in 925/1000 sterling silver with Art Deco style fire enamels, early 1900s. Total weight 793 g. Designed by Renato Salimbeni in 1951 inspired b...

Four-leaf clover-shaped table box in gold-plated 925/1000 sterling silver with petals in lapis lazuli and red jasper. Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.3 x 2 cm. Silver weight: 175 g. Designed by ...

This French Empire 19th century rectangular porcelain dresser box or jewlery decorative casket has a wonderfully patinated powder blue/cerulean light blue background color and features grotesque masks, architectural vase, fruit, flowers and leafy scrolled design throughout painted as a trompe l’oeil in the round. Ormolu mounts enrich the whole box. The paintings on this casket are striking as is the color palette used, a wonderful mix of light purple, cream, blue and soft brown. The lid is centered by a grotesque mask inspired by antiquity. The front, back and sides are profusely decorated with architectural elements, cartouches and volutes. The design is centered by a vase with a fruit arrangement that appear to be plums. The decoration could refer to the allegory of autumn and the mask painted on the lid could refer to Bacchus. Both the color of the porcelain and the paintings are very unusual and a sign of high quality and uniqueness.The box was most probably given to a high-ranking lady as a gift on the occasion of her marriage, or perhaps after the birth of a child. The lidded box is fitted with ormolu mounts, hinges and clasp. A gilt bronze band finelly chiseled in the form of a rope adorns the upper part. The trinket box rests on four gilt bronze lion paw feet. This striking French porcelain box...

Charming Limoges Porcelain Trinket Box painted in pinks, purples and greens. Upon opening the box there is a cute flower design inside as well. The box is marked Peint Main Limoges F...

Tiffany & Co. porcelain round trinket box. Tiffany & Co. porcelain round map box designed for Tauck World, Made In France. The porcelain lid cover ...

A decorative French porcelain box, dating from the 1970s, depicting a stylized Pierrot, an iconic figure in the world of theater and poetry. The lid is surmounted by a delicately scu...

A Swedish original green painted and carved bentwood box from the Gustavian Folk Art period. These small 19th Century Scandinavian collectibles were usually hand crafted and sometime...

Elegant vintage round Limoges 22-karat gold trinket jewelry box. French vintage Limoges trinket box in cobalt royal blue with fine gold decor. Marked...

Exquisite Reuge S.A. Musical Table Box Description:Discover a stunning large rectangular table box featuring elegantly concave corners, showcasing the exceptional craftsmanship of th...

Handbag cigarette case in 925/1000 sterling silver with black fire enamel. Opening with spring button. Size cm. 6.3 x 9.7 x 1.5. Weight gr. 215. Created in Art Deco style for Cartier...

Charming antique Anglo Indian lidded box handcrafted in indigenous hard wood clad in organic tortoise shell and decorated in bone with painted floral engravings, lacy open fretwork a...

A striking and whimsical large-scale decorative mallard duck container designed by Maitland-Smith. Expertly hand-painted with richly detailed feather patterns, the sculpture captures...

Charming ceramic trinket, pill or small jewelry box with an adorable rabbit on the front, surrounded by lush greenery. This piece would certainly be a fantastic addition to an existi...

Very pretty Limoges porcelain old fashion Victorian style lace up boot shoe shaped trinket box is handmade in France and features a white background with skillfully hand painted clusters of deep pink roses, vining green...

A beautiful German oval porcelain jewelry box, in the Regency design style, circa mid-20th century, Germany. Boxes' lid features outdoor nature scene with couple in a park sounded by...

Rectangular pocket cigarette case with long rounded sides in 925/1000 sterling silver with red and black fire-enamelled stripes. With button and spring opening. Measurements cm. 10.3...

There are small, decorative wood boxes from many cultures. Some are ideal for holding hand sewing tools. Others, equipped with a lock, like this example, might hold those bulky bangl...

This exquisite Limoges porcelain box is a sophisticated creation by Philippe Deshoulieres, designed by Marie-France Lecherbonnier, and richly inspired by La Dame à la Licorne, the mo...

Sherle Wagner designer porcelain lidded jar decorated with "Chinoiserie - Blue" finish depicting flowers, foliage, butterfly, and Asian figures and embellished with gilding. Made in ...

This is a Limoges Porcelain Oval Small Trinket Box. Its background is hand painted white. The top of the hinged lid is adorned with blue swags and branches of roses. In the center di...

Unique stack of leather books design tantalus with hidden 'shot glasses' & decanters. If you are looking for the most interesting and worldly gift for yourself, a friend or a loved ...

Presenting an absolutely stunning 19c Anglo Ceylonese sewing box of museum quality. Made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) circa 1860, this is one of the finest sewing boxes of it’s kind that we have ever seen! The box is made from coromandel wood (an exotic hardwood found in Ceylon) and has a serpentine edging all over the front, back and sides. Very often the lids/tops of these boxes suffer cracks due to shrinkage but this one is near perfect with no crack in the lid/top. There is some evidence of natural shrinkage but that is around the edges of the lid/top. It is when you open this box that it reveals it’s true beauty, quality and treasure ! The inside of the lid/top is heavily and beautifully decorated with inlaid bone in scrolling floral patterns which have then been hand painted with red and black ‘lac’ ink. The central medallion is a circle of inlaid specimen exotic hardwoods radiating towards a central bone and hand painted flower. The circle is edged in bone, wood and silver chevrons. What makes this box Exceptionally rare is that it contains 3 lift out base sections. Normally, there would be a maximum of 2. The first tray/section is clearly for the purposes ancillary to sewing with a pair of sections with bone spools for thread etc. There are 17 other lidded compartments with each one highly decorated using hand painted bone and specimen woods to replicate tortoiseshell. The first tray lifts out to reveal a second removeable tray which is made up of a pair of open sections and 8 specimen wood lidded sections each with chevron banding. The third tray is a smaller tray underneath with 14 lidded compartments each with hand painted bone and specimen wood inlaid lids again, replicating the look of tortoiseshell. Again they are banded with a chevron border. This is a museum quality piece ! It is in fantastic condition for it’s age with the minor shrinkage to the edges of the lid/top, some finger pulls missing and some very minor cracks to the tray lids and bases but nothing that in any way detracts from the piece. No key. Dimensions: Closed the box is 16.75 inches wide, 11.25 inches deep and 7.5 inches high Fully open the box is 16.5 inches high, 16.75 inches wide and 11.4 inches deep Anglo-Indian and ceylonese boxes: 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. Anglo-Indian boxes normally consist of 3 main types:- (1) Most of the best and highest quality Anglo-Indian boxes in the 18th and 19th centuries were made in Vizagapatam, India, renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship in using ivory and tortoiseshell and lac decoration. These are referred to as ‘Vizagapatam Boxes...

A delightful vintage United Artists composite Pink Panther Swag money box signed Roby Mouro and dating from around 1982. The money box is produced under license by the United Artists...

Beautiful Limoges handcrafted and hand painted gold trimmed trinket, jewelry box or candy dish, circa 1930. Signed, Jammet Seignolles Limoges (history of this maker below). Glazed. Measures: 4 3/8" Diameter x 2 1/4" high. Very good antique condition, no cracks or chips. In 1825, François BAIGNOL moved to LA FABRIQUE, on the edge of the Brigueuil forest and founded...

Vintage timeless elegance handcrafted Italian pink alabaster pill box trimmed in gold tone metal. Featuring a hinged lid and gilt brass metal trim,the lid is decorated with a rose, i...

Playing card suit-shaped box “heart” in 925/1000 sterling silver with red fired enamel in Art Deco style, early 1900s. With lost hinge, i.e. semi-invisible. Dimensions cm. 9.5 x 10 x...

Found in Paris, a charming porcelain floral oval trinket box painted in blue and white. This piece would certainly be a fantastic addition to an existing collection of these desirabl...

A well painted Chinese Canton enamel lobed round box and cover featuring the Eight Immortals, with a Qianlong mark to the underside, late Qing Dynasty, circa 1900, China The deligh...

Vintage Limoges Bowler Hat form Trinket Box, porcelain, French. Hand painted. Marked: "Peint main Limoges France HC". Porcelain & brass with bow clasp. An umbrella painted on the int...

Crafted in Northern France circa 1880, this engaging pair of antique figural faience tobacco jars is executed in the manner of Onnaing, reflecting the lively humor and expressive mod...

Mid 18th century hand painted traditional Swedish chest/box circa 1750. Stunning traditional Swedish box hand painted in the original paintwork.   Decorated on all sides with swags ...

Japanese Lacquer Inro with Netsuke Okame Mask, brown lacquer with 3 sections and 2 compartments, and carved ivory polychrome Okame mask and a rope hair. This item is from the Meiji P...