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Technique: Inlay
Japanese Lacquer Box with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay and Parquetry Drawers
Located in Yonkers, NY
A finely crafted Japanese tabletop cabinet from the early 20th century, this compact storage piece is richly detailed with traditional decorative techniques and export-era flourishes...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Meiji Inlay Boxes
Materials
Wood
Antique English Victorian Burr Walnut Writing Box with Secret Compartment
Located in Northampton, GB
Contains a Secret Compartment and Candle Sconces
From our Writing Box collection, we are pleased to offer this Antique Burr Walnut Writing Box. The Writing Box of rectangular shape ...
Category
Late 19th Century English High Victorian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Antique English Large Tunbridge Box With Marquetry Inlay
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An antique English Tunbridge box with geometric inlay, hinged lid, red velvet interior, felted bottom and comes with working key. The box with a diamond form inlaid medallion flanked...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Velvet, Wood
Victorian Black Walnut Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy Box, Circa 1880.
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Victorian Black Walnut Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy Box, Circa 1880.
Beautiful and unique geometric inlay mosaic design banding embellishments with mother of pearl key and top medallion. Glowing, patinated wood box with hinged lid. This antique Tunbridge box...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Fruitwood, Walnut
Urushi Lacquer Eggshell Orb Box, Small by Alexander Lamont
Located in Khet Bang Sue, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon
Like an ancient pebble or river-rock that has been tumbled for centuries to polish and reveal its alluvial layers. Hand-turned solid oak box enveloped in lacquered eggshell marquetry.
Category
2010s Thai Art Deco Inlay Boxes
Materials
Eggshell, Oak, Lacquer
18th Century Georgian Period English Mahogany Inlaid Tea Caddy
Located in Forney, TX
Beloved for its aesthetic beauty and exceptionally high quality, Georgian period furniture and decoration are arguably the most sought after and enduring pieces in British history. T...
Category
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Ebony, Mahogany, Satinwood
19th Century Anglo-Indian Sadeli Inlaid Work Box Traveling Writing Desk
Located in Stamford, CT
A stunning camel bone, ebony and metal inlaid sadeli work box with portable writing desk, Bombay, circa 1850.
The sandalwood body of faceted rec...
Category
Mid-19th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Metal
Antique Southeast Asian Filipino Maranao Silver Inlaid Brass Betel Nut Box
Located in Forney, TX
A scarce fine quality antique silver-inlaid solid brass betel nut box (Lutuan), dating to the second half of the 19th / early 20th century, hand-crafted in Mindanao, Philippines.
Boxes such as this were used to store the areca nut (also known as the betel nut) which would be wrapped in a betel leaf with lime paste and other ingredients, often tobacco, for chewing. Similar to the European tea caddy, these boxes often served as a way to impress while showing off ones wealth.
Betel chewing was prevalent in the southern Philippines as in much of the rest of Southeast Asia. Wealthier Maranao families on Mindanao were able to afford elaborate silver-inlaid brass betel boxes such as this example. Such boxes were used to show off to guests and from which they were offered betel and the other component such as leaves and lime to make up the betel quid.
Rare large size, most extant examples of such boxes tend to measure around 5 inches in length. At slightly more than 7.75 inches the example here is larger than most.
The distinctive decorative box features a very heavy strong-box like rectangular shaped chest form with canted corners, copper handles, and a conforming hinged lid, lifting open to reveal an interior divided into three compartments covered by four hinged lids. Each of these doors is inlaid with silver in stylized orchid flower patterns.
Exceptionally executed throughout, the arabesque silver inlaid exterior is decorated to the top with a large orchid motif within scrolling obid-obid (stylized rope) borders. The front, back and sides are inlaid with sets of stylized tail feathers of the sari-manok bird beneath which are unusual, highly stylized whimsical zoomorphic faces that appear like cat or tiger faces. (Such stylisation is accounted for by Southeast Asian Islamic preferences to avoid the overt and this potentially idolatrous representation of animal and human forms. Designs such as these are drawn from a local design repertoire that has its origins in wood carving.
Although the spread of Islam in the Philippines began in the 14th century, mostly through the influence of Muslim merchants from the western Malay Archipelago, decorative arts in this design remain exceptionally rare. This lutuan represents a fine example of Islamic metalwork from the most eastern outreach of Islamic art and civilisation: Mindanao island being significantly further east than even China – artwork from Islamic Southeast Asia remains chronically under-represented in the world’s major collections of Islamic art.
PROVENANCE / ACQUISITION
Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, established 1983, Austin, Texas.
References
Brownrigg, H., Betel Cutters...
Category
19th Century Philippine Islamic Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Silver, Brass, Bronze, Copper
Chinese Lacquered Happiness Box with Birds & Blossoms, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This finely lacquered box was once presented as a gift, filled with popular snacks like roasted melon seeds, dried fruit, and cinnamon-toasted soy beans. Dated to the late 19th centu...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Bone, Mother-of-Pearl, Wood, Lacquer
Victorian Tunbridge Ware Paper Lined Handkerchief Box
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A Victorian Tunbridge ware inlaid box with hinged lid and later paper lining. The lid decorated with a mosaic floral group to the centre set in birch and geometric border. The flat t...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Wood, Paper
Architectural Model Box of the Alhambra Palace, with Key
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Architectural Model Box of the Alhambra Palace, with Key
Handcrafted in Granada, Spain, Circa 1960s
A stunning architectural model box that showcases the ...
Category
20th Century Spanish Moorish Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Anglo Indian Micro Mosaic Inlay Jewelry Box
Located in New York, NY
Exquisitely crafted early 20th century Anglo Indian micro mosaic Sadeli box with gorgeous antique Persian geometric pattern.
The finely detailed box featu...
Category
Early 20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Inlay Boxes
Materials
Bone, Fruitwood
Elie Bleu Cigars box humidor Rootwood France
Located in Berlin, DE
Vintage Elie Bleu humidor made of maple burl veneer with inlays.
For cigars with a humidity meter.
The cigar box has some scratches on the varnish.
The box is in good condition.
Category
Late 20th Century Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Shagreen Box with Bronze-Patina Brass Details by Kifu, Paris
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by skilled artisans, ultimately making each piece unique, designed in Paris and produced in the Philippines.
The Dandy Box is a chic accent piece for your home. The piece is lined with a removable velvet tray...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Large 19th Century French Napoleon III Marquetry Jewelry Box, Marked Lucie
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This large mid nineteenth century marquetry box from the Napoleon III period features a burl thuya wood field surrounded by a concentric border of intricately inlaid ebonized pearwoo...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Bronze
Early 20th century Norwegian pokerwork tine box
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Early 20th century Scandinavian pokerwork tine box circa 1904.
Beautiful quality small Norwegian pokerwork tine box. Stunning desktop item, with carved dragons to the sides and aro...
Category
Early 20th Century Norwegian Folk Art Inlay Boxes
Materials
Pine
Antique Continental Palm Coconut Inlaid Wood Box
Located in Northampton, GB
With Square Panels of exotic Coconut/Palm wood
Form our Jewellery Box collection, we are pleased to offer this small sized Continental Continental Palm Coconut Wood Box. The Coconut...
Category
Early 1900s European Art Nouveau Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Palmwood
Period Georgian Tea Caddy, Circa 1790-1810
Located in High Point, NC
Circa 1790-1810 period Georgian tea caddy made from Mahogany. The tea caddy has been used well and loved over many centuries. The top has a brass ring with which to lift the lid. ...
Category
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Mahogany, Satinwood
Boulle marquetry tea box, Napoléon III period, late 19th century signed Vervelle
Located in GRENOBLE, FR
Beautiful Boulle marquetry and blackened wood tea box / tea caddy, brass pattern inlaid, mahogany veneer inside. Mid 19th century circa 1840 - 1850, typic...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Don Shoemaker - Senal Exotic Mixed Hardwoods Rosewood Trinket Box Made in Mexico
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Designed by eccentric woodworker and designer Don Shoemaker, this trinket box was made by Senal in Mexico. It employs a cacophany of exotic woods, including cocobolo, jacaranda, and ...
Category
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Inlay Boxes
Materials
Jacaranda, Mahogany, Rosewood, Cocobolo
Antique Imperial Russian Engraved 84 Silver Niello Tobacco Case Box Moscow 1886
Located in Portland, OR
A fine antique Imperial Russian engraved silver and niello tobacco box/case, 1886, Moscow, Alexander Fuld.
The case is finely engraved with engraved niello designs, the hinged lid ha...
Category
1880s Russian Late Victorian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Silver
French Walnut Burr Campaign Writing Slope Brass Inlay 19th C
By Napoléon III
Located in Cheltenham, GB
An exceptionally fine quality example of an early 19th century burr wood campaign writing slope, in beautifully grained burl, with polished brass inlaid, of French origin. Opening to...
Category
Early 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Large Anglo Indian Mosaic Inlaid Jewelry Hexagonal Box 1950s
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Large Anglo Indian Moorish Islamic style micro mosaic inlaid jewelry box with lid.
Intricate inlaid Anglo Persian box with floral and geometric Moorish Sadeli design in an hexagonal shape form with micro mosaic marquetry, very fine artwork.
Museum collector piece like the one in Doris Duke Islamic Art Museum.
The repeating geometric patterns of Sadeli Mosaic are what give it beauty and richness.
This decorative technique is a type of micro mosaic featuring repeating geometric patterns.
Dimensions: H: 5 in : 12 in W x 12 in. D.
Circa 1950s.
Sadeli mosaic art is a highly skilled craft, it has had a long history in India and the Middle East with early examples dating back to the 16th century. In the 1800s, it became popular as a decoration on a variety of boxes, card cases, and chess boards imported from India. Since Bombay became a center of making them, they became known as Bombay boxes.
The ancient art of Sadeli Mosaic is said to have been introduced from Shiraz in Persia via Sind to Bombay, a long time before Indian boxes appeared. The designs on early boxes 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 isn’t immediately apparent to the viewer.
Will look great in a Moroccan decor...
Category
Mid-20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Inlay Boxes
Materials
Wood
Decorative Treasure Box with Cold Color Straw Marquetry Subway Inlay Handcrafted
Located in Warsaw, PL
DECORATIVE BOX 03
Inlay scheme: Subway
Colour scheme: Cold
Available in individuals colors
MATERIALS: MDF, painted rye straw, brass.
DIMENSIONS (cm): 12x12x6,5.
Packaging dimensions...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Arts and Crafts Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Vintage Moorish Sajai Box Inlaid with Agate Stones
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage Moorish Mughal Raj jewelry box inlaid with semi-precious agate stones and covered with silvered metal filigree.
Moorish Middle East jewelry...
Category
Mid-20th Century Indian Moorish Inlay Boxes
Materials
Multi-gemstone, Metal
Georgian Satinwood Tea Chest with Secret Compartments
Located in Northampton, GB
Georgian Tea Chest with Boxwood & Ebony Checkered Stringing
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this Rare Georgian Satinwood Tea Chest. The Tea Chest of rectang...
Category
Late 18th Century British Georgian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Silver
19C Anglo Ceylonese Sewing Box of Museum Quality
Located in Dallas, TX
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...
Category
Mid-19th Century Sri Lankan Anglo-Indian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Silver
Decorative Treasure Box with Green Teal Checkerboard Straw Marquetry Artisanal
Located in Warsaw, PL
DECORATIVE BOX 01
Inlay scheme: Weave
Colour scheme: Green/Teal
Available in individuals colors
MATERIALS: MDF, painted rye straw, brass.
DIMENSIONS (cm):20x20x10,5.
Packaging dimens...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Arts and Crafts Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Marble Box with Jewish Star of David Design
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful modern style or Postmodern period marble and brass box with Jewish Star of David design, circa late-20th century, 1980s, 90s. Box, att...
Category
Late 20th Century Philippine Post-Modern Inlay Boxes
Materials
Stone, Marble, Brass
Art Nouveau Cosmic Repoussé Box by Alfred Daguet
Located in Chicago, US
Alfred Louis Achille DAGUET (1875 - 1942) was a metalsmith active in Paris during the first part of the 20th century. His metalwork created prior to the outbreak of World War I, note...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Copper
Urushi Lacquer Eggshell Round Brule Box, Medium by Alexander Lamont
Located in Khet Bang Sue, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon
Brulé means 'burnt' in French. Raw and delicate, the Brulé boxes evoke the idea of baked earth or ashes. There is a powerful energy in the details of decisio...
Category
2010s Thai Art Deco Inlay Boxes
Materials
Eggshell, Lacquer
Handmade Victorian Burr Walnut & Inlay Tea Caddy With Brass Hinges
Located in Reading, Berkshire
A Handmade Victorian Burr Walnut & Inlay Tea Caddy With Brass Hinges
A tea caddy is a box, jar, canister, or other receptacle used to store tea. When first introduced to Europe from Asia, tea was extremely expensive, and kept under lock and key. The containers used were often expensive and decorative, to fit in with the rest of a drawing-room or other reception room. Hot water was carried up from the kitchen, and the tea made...
Category
19th Century British Victorian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass, Zinc
Georgian Octagonal Inlaid Tea Caddy
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine George III octagonal tea caddy inlaid with various woods on a harewood ground, the central panels veneered with coucous wood and banded by holly stringing around a kingwood band, vines and berried...
Category
1780s English George III Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Ebony, Kingwood, Harewood, Holly, Burl
Vintage Japanese Inlaid Marquetry Kodansu/Jewelry Chest with Tambour Doors
Located in New Orleans, LA
A fine, vintage Japanese Inlaid Marquetry Kodansu, Jewelry/miniature Chest with Tambour Doors in the Art Deco style, circa 1930.
This exquisite, handcrafted jewelry chest has intrica...
Category
1930s Japanese Art Deco Vintage Inlay Boxes
Materials
Metal
Circa 1800 English George III Tea Caddy Box
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Circa 1800 large rectangular tea caddy box, English. George III period. Mahogany. Interior with two hinged tea canisters & a sugar well. Nautilus shell inlaid top, paterae oval inlai...
Category
Early 1800s English George III Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Glass, Wood
Moorish Inlaid Marquetry Mosaic Jewelry Box with Geometric and Floral Patterns
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
This is a Moorish-style jewelry box adorned with inlaid marquetry work, featuring a mosaic of geometric and floral patterns. The design is highly detailed, with small pieces of wood,...
Category
1940s Moroccan Moorish Vintage Inlay Boxes
Materials
Wood, Mother-of-Pearl, Fruitwood
Louis-Philippe Period Walnut Box with Doucine and Marquetry, circa 1840
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Beautiful jewelry box in walnut. The four sides in doucine are decorated with a marquetry border, the top is decorated with a diamond also in m...
Category
1840s French Louis Philippe Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Walnut
French Napoleon III Boulle Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, GB
Single Tea Caddy Compartment
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to bring to market this Antique French Boulle Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of square shape with slight bombe...
Category
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
Vintage Mexican Box with Stone Mosaic Copper Silver & Brass Details Taxco
By Los Castillos, Taxco
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
This exquisite vintage box from Mexico features a richly textured stone mosaic design on its surface, combining deep shades of blue and green. The geometric ornamentation is crafted ...
Category
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Inlay Boxes
Materials
Stone, Multi-gemstone, Metal, Brass, Silver, Copper
Rare Late 18th/Early 19th Century French Colored Straw Marquetry Sewing Box
Located in Forney, TX
A rare French marqueterie de paille (colored straw marquetry)
sewing work box.
Delicately hand-crafted in Provincial Burgundy, France, late 18th / ...
Category
Early 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Straw
Middle Eastern Persian Khatam Trinket Box with Miniature Art Painting 1950s
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage Middle Eastern Persian Khatam Trinket Box with Miniature Art Painting.
This hand-painted, lacquered wooden box features Moorish micro mosaic marquetry, perfect for holding sm...
Category
Mid-20th Century Lebanese Islamic Inlay Boxes
Materials
Fruitwood
Persian Box Khatam Kari Footed Wooden Round Jewelry Vanity Trinket Moorish Box
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Late 19th c. early 20th c. Persian Footed Wooden Round Jewelry Box.
Antique rare in round shape large Persian wooden box with marquetry called "Sadeli" or "Khatam Kari" with exquisit...
Category
Late 20th Century Indian Islamic Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Decorative Treasure Box with Red Straw Marquetry Sunburst Inlay Handcrafted
Located in Warsaw, PL
DECORATIVE BOX 02
Inlay scheme: Shine
Colour scheme: Ruta
Available in individuals colors
MATERIALS: MDF, painted rye straw, brass.
DIMENSIONS (cm): 12?12x9,5.
Packaging dimens...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Arts and Crafts Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Indo-Persian Khatam Micro Mosaic Jewelry Box
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Handcrafted Khatam wooden box with very delicate micro mosaic marquetry from the ancient Persian technique of inlaying from arrangements of so many delicate pieces of wood, precious wood, and delicate miniatures paintings.
This beautiful Middle Eastern Persian style box is covered inside and out with fine Moorish micro mosaic marquetry.
Indo Persian Moorish style micro mosaic inlaid jewelry box with lid.
Intricate inlaid Asian Indian box with floral and geometric Islamic
Moorish Sadeli design in a square shape form with inlay marquetry, very fine artwork, lined in red velvet.
Museum collector piece like the one in Doris Duke Islamic Art Museum.
The repeating geometric patterns of Sadeli Mosaic are what give it beauty and richness. This decorative technique is a type of micro mosaic featuring repeating geometric patterns. A highly skilled craft, it has had a long history in India and the Middle East with early examples dating back to the 16th century. In the 1800s, it became popular as a decoration on a variety of boxes, card cases, and chess boards imported from India. Since Bombay became a center of making them, they became known as Bombay boxes...
Category
Mid-20th Century Asian Moorish Inlay Boxes
Materials
Wood
19th Century English Regency Mahogany Box With Satinwood Inlay
Located in Stamford, CT
English Regency mahogany box with satinwood inlay. The four corners of the top are inlaid with lovely triangular scalloped decoration. All the border molding are also satinwood inlay...
Category
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Mahogany, Satinwood
Set of 6 Mindanao Brass Silver Betel Boxes, Philippines
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting an amazing set of 6 Mindanao brass silver betel boxes, Philippines.
Betel chewing was prevalent in the southern Philippines as in much o...
Category
Late 19th Century Philippine Islamic Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Silver, Brass, Copper
19th Century Japanese Meiji Period Parquetry Table Top Kodansu Cabinet
Located in Reading, Berkshire
19th Century Japanese Meiji Period Parquetry Table Top Kodansu Cabinet With An Arrangement of Seven Drawers & Metal Handles & Finishings
Category
19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Copper
Tunbridge Ware Correspondence Box by Edmund Nye 19th Century
Located in Cheltenham, GB
Mid 19th century Tunbridge ware stationery box by Edmund Nye, manufacturer.
The dome-shaped top is inlaid with a specimen parquetry panel, crossbanded with boxwood and stringing and...
Category
19th Century English Georgian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Boxwood, Ash, Satinwood, Walnut
Large Antique French Boulle Napoleon III Marquetry Box
By Audige
Located in Vilnius, LT
Antique 19th century French Boulle/Napoleon III marquetry box.
The wooden box is decorated with inlaid brass and tortoiseshell and red silk textile inside.
Including key.
Signed: Aud...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
19C Anglo Indian Bombay MOP Sadeli Mosaic Trinket Box
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING a LOVELY 19C Anglo Indian Bombay MOP (Mother of Pearl) Sadeli Mosaic Trinket Box from circa 1875-85.
Gorgeously detailed and hand-crafted ‘sadeli mosaic’ inlay, from the Bombay Area, with deep greens with silver, pewter, mother of pearl, bone and ebony in geometric patterns.
The box case, is made of sandalwood but completely covered in MOP, bone, faux ivory, ebony and mosaic inlay.
Edged with faux ivory and banded with a different pattern of sadeli mosaic.
Some minor damage to the top (repair is obvious in pics) and ivorine replacements to some edging, but it still a BEAUTIFUL BOX and of real QUALITY!
The mosaic work is FABULOUS!
Box opens to reveal its original blue velvet lining.
It sits on 4 (recently added) silvered button feet.
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...
Category
Late 19th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Silver
Middle Eastern Mosaic Wooden Inlaid Marquetry Box for Game Chess and Backgammon
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Middle Eastern Mosaic Wooden Inlaid Marquetry Box Game Backgammon and Chess.
Middle Eastern Micro Mosaic Wooden Inlaid Marquetry Box.
Large vintage Moorish Syrian style micro mosaic ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Lebanese Islamic Inlay Boxes
Materials
Fruitwood
Georgian Kingwood Writing Box by David Edwards with Secret Compartment
Located in Northampton, GB
Hidden Secret Compartment
From our Writing Box collection, we are pleased to offer this Georgian Kingwood Writing Box attributed to David Edwards. The Writing Box constructed from M...
Category
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Antique Georgian Masonic Freemasons Tea Caddy
Located in Northampton, GB
Featuring Masonic Scenes
From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this extremely rare Georgian Masonic Tea caddy. The Tea Caddy of box form with chequered edging and borders of Tulipwood surrounding Burr Yew wood squares each featuring Satinwood oval panels depicting Masonic Symbols. The symbols include the past master, senior warden, junior warden and the past worshipful master. The top of the box features inlaid moon, stars and sun surmounted by a brass carry handle. The interior of the Tea Caddy features a floating lid with a turned metal handle. The Tea Caddy dates to the Georgian period during the reign of George III circa 1800.
The Tea Caddy comes complete with working lock and tasselled key.
Tulipwood is also known as Brazilian Tulipwood, Brazilian Pinkwood and Bahia Rosewood. It is found in South America, mainly Brazil. The colour is a warm yellow with streaks or brown-red grain.
Burr Yew originates from Asia, Europe and North Africa. It is yellow-brown to orange-brown and usually conforms to a fine uniform pattern. Yew wood usually has black pips scattered throughout so clean veneers fetch a high price and are reserved for finer items. A few trees will produce a burr which offers a distinct decorative finish.
Satinwood is found in India and Sri Lanka. It has a rich golden colour and an almost reflective sheen. Satinwood is traditionally used for high quality furniture.
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.
Masonic (Freemasons, Freemasonry or Masonry) refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that from the end of the 14th century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. While Freemasonry is not itself a religion, all its members believe in a supreme being...
Category
Early 1800s English George III Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Satinwood, Tulipwood, Yew
Syrian Style Mosaic Wooden Inlaid Marquetry Box Backgammon Set
Located in Miami, FL
Stunning mosaic Backgammon set featuring a traditional Syrian style design and fine craftsmanship. Made in Morocco.
The board/ box is made of various woods and inlays. A genuine wo...
Category
20th Century Moroccan Mid-Century Modern Inlay Boxes
Materials
Wood, Fruitwood, Walnut
Mid 20th Century Anglo Indian Carved Wood Jewelry Box Kashmir India
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage hand carved wood jewelry trinket storage box with brass inlaid.
Hand-carved large wooden Anglo-Raj jewelry box. Found in Kashmir, India.
Mi...
Category
Mid-20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Inlay Boxes
Materials
Brass
Inlaid Octagonal hardwood Box with Fitted Interior and Key, English Early 19th C
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a beautifully hand made oak Sewing Box, of octagonal form with inlaid sunburst top, fully fitted interior and having a working lock and key, all dating to circa 1840.
The bo...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Hardwood
Fine Miniature Japanese Kodansu with Lacquer Inlays
Located in Atlanta, GA
A fine Japanese miniature kodansu constructed from Kaki wood (Persimmon) circa 19th century, late Meiji period. With its expressive exotic wood grains and exposed tenon construction,...
Category
Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Antique Inlay Boxes
Materials
Wood
Art Deco Style Box with Ebony Veneer, with Inlays in Bronze and Springwood
By Loyzaga
Located in Mexico, Ciudad de México
Large box built in spring wood with ebony veneer and geometric inlays in bronze and spring wood.
The influence for this piece came from Marion Dorn's design of the black and cream g...
Category
2010s Mexican Art Deco Inlay Boxes
Materials
Bronze