Inlay Boxes

An English 19th century decorative box with lift up lid opening on original brass hinges to reveal a good sized storage compartment lined with the original hand-crafted sapphire blue...

A beautifully crafted hexagonal jewelry box inlaid with luminous mother‑of‑pearl and abalone seashell, executed in the Moorish design style, circa mid‑20th century. The lid centers a...

Rare Engine Turned Design The Sewing Box of slight sarcophagus shape stood upon four turned ribbed feet. The Sewing Box tapers up to the convex raised lid and features scrolling fl...

Beautifully decorated mid-late 19th c, England, black lacquered papier-mâché sewing stand. Decorated with gilt, mother-of-pearl and polychrome paint, opening to cloth-lined interior....

An antique 18th century New England dovetailed and boxwork inlaid document chest in butternet and walnut.

This box is a jewelry box or a decorative box. It was made in the 1970s, in France. Its lid is made of a checkerboard rectangle in wood. It is brown in color.

A brilliant Kazaribako "Ornamented Box" made of glass by Japanese artist Kyohei Fujita (1921-2004) circa 1990s. The hand-blown green glass box featur...

19th century victorian burr walnut desk top writing slope circa 1870. Fine quality english made victorian writing slope.  Exterior of rich burr walnut with tunbridge ware inlay deco...

Unique and all handcrafted, wrought iron box attr. to Hugo Berger Goberg. It is always refreshing to find an antique object probably by a famous maker, that you have never seen befo...

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...

Stunning mosaic design, this intricate quite large wood jewelry box is made from multiple micro pieces of wood, mother of pearl with some possib...

A 19th Century Biedermeier Swedish Jewelry box in oak with an ornamental inlay decoration. The fine intarsia work, featuring a floral pattern, is...

With Tuscan Columns & Fan Inlay. From our Tea Caddy collection, we are pleased to offer this Georgian Harewood Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of octagonal shape with a Harewood veneer...

A fine and unusual Japanese black lacquer and mother of pearl inlaid box, Momoyama Period, 16th century, Japan. The large box and cover featu...

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 o...

Fantastic quality antique Victorian rosewood and mother of pearl inlaid work box having a quality antique Victorian work box with stunning mother of pearl inlay, with a lift up lid o...

19th Century Anglo Indian fall front box with six drawers with metal pulls. The exterior and interior inlaid throughout with bone and various woods. Intricate geometric designs cover...

Huge wonderfully decorated wooden box, an original of the Jugendstil era, made in Austria. This casket is an impressive example of the craftsmanship of the period around 1900. Only ...

This is a wonderful antique French Gonçalo Alves marquetry and ormolu mounted casket, circa 1860 in date. The casket of bureau form has a lift up top and is inlaid with a marquetry ...

Old mid century Mexican mixed metals jewelry box with stone mosaic background on brass base, circa 1950's. With inner lining of fine wood. With lively primitivism ceremonial hunt or ...

Beautiful antique Napoleon III tea box, crafted of black ebonised wood. The inlay is in Boulle style, marquetry of mother-of-pearl, brass and tortoise. The interior has tree compartm...

Unique low cabinet with intarsia designed by the architect, artist and craftsman Viktor Lurje (1883-1944) and manufactured by Wiener Werkstätte GmbH, circa 1926. Together with Oskar ...

This box is a jewelry box or a decorative box. It was made in the 1970s, in France. Its lid is made of a checkerboard rectangle in Brass, and wood. It is gold and brown in color.

Felt-lined lidded box all handcrafted from natural stones Indigenous to the Philippines.

French wood box decorated with marquetry including a stars and geometrical patterns. Straw marquetry was a common technique in the early 20th century. Straw was dyed different colors...

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...

A lacquer presentation box with mother-of-pearl inlays from Japanese Ryukyu Islands circa 17-18th century. The lidded box in rectangular form with rounded corner is a classic example...

A handsome piece of early Tunbridge Ware dating to around 1835, William IV in era. Made from wood this small stationery box is decorated with intricate Tunbridge Stickware inlay. The interior has been professionally re-lined in a handsome hand-marbled paper; the size of the interior would suit...

A beautiful and top condition antique black forest jewelry box, carved on all sides. This rare and large jewelry box makes a beautiful accessory for a lady with an eye for fine arts. It is a very well fine carved gem and highly practical with a good working lock and key. The detailed leafs, branches and flowers on top and the marvelous blue...

Water flowing over rocks creates a contrast between the sparkle of the water and the relative opacity of the rocks. In these boxes black lacquer pours over natural shells that glow a...

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...

A beautiful 'as is' late 18th or early 19th century example of 'Marqueterie de Paille', or straw marquetry, work box. The top inlaid with a wonderful cityscape, with early architectu...

Antique handcrafted Moroccan jewelry wooden box with camel bone inlay trunk. A large early 20th century decorative Moroccan camel bone casket with bra...

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.

Large vintage Moorish wedding jewelry box inlaid with semi-precious agate stones and covered with brass and silvered metal filigree. Large circular Moorish Middle East jewelry...

Very beautiful Japanese jewelry cabinet in Yosegi-zaiku marquetry composed of six drawers. The whole is inlaid with geometrically shaped pieces of wood and decorated with motifs resembling kamon...

Moorish style micro mosaic marquetry inlaid jewelry box with lid. Intricate inlaid Anglo Indian box with floral and geometric Islamic Moorish mosaic Sadeli design in a square shape form with mosaic inlay and 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...

Beautiful Scholz & Lammel boxe from the 1960s made of wood with enamel top. You could use it for cigaretts, little things like jewelry or small accessories. Price for one box.  

Water flowing over rocks creates a contrast between the sparkle of the water and the relative opacity of the rocks. In these boxes black lacquer pours over natural shells that glow a...

Gilt Lacquer Wood Manuscript storage box Burma 19th century. This wooden box is entirely covered in moulded lacquer-work in relief (known as thayo w...

There is type of English sweet called a Licorice Allsort. They are made in different layers and some have little balls covering them. The red lacquer and the little white pieces of e...

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...

Discover the timeless elegance of this large, handcrafted Middle Eastern Lebanese jewelry box, a stunning testament to traditional artistry. Meticul...

Always Free Worldwide Shipping Outstanding Feathered Walnut Veneer From our Decanter collection, we are thrilled to offer this rare example Antique Burr Walnut Decanter Box attrib...

From our Tea Caddy collection, we are pleased to offer this Georgian octagonal Inlaid Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of octagonal form veneered in Harewood with inlaid twin Tuscan Columns ...

Dovedale — has designed two different humidors, a smaller humidor carrying fifty cigars and a more substantial to take a hundred cigars. Both are lined with Spanish cedar to keep the...

Middle Eastern Moorish Mother of Pearl Inlaid Marquetry Jewelry Box. Exquisite middle Eastern Moorish Syrian inlay jewelry box covered with fine Moorish micro mosaic marquetry. Beaut...

This silver, gold and niello inlaid topographical snuffbox is a masterpiece of Russian silver. Almost owned by a wealthy 19th-century tradesman, this extraordinary creation shares a ...

Circa 1850-60 Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy Box, English. Featuring Eridge Castle on the lid. Two interior lidded wells for tea. Old label on bottom: Eridge Castle, Sussex. Micro mosaic b...

Wonderful 1980s Art Deco revival box by Maitland Smith constructed out of tessellated marble with inlaid brass detail.

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...

An important early antique Italian Renaissance table box, handcrafted in Northern Italy in the 17th/18th century, cassone chest form, richly inlaid, the top and front panel with fruitwood banding framing...

This elegant 1930s box, crafted in straw marquetry, is attributed to Jean-Michel Frank, one of the most influential French designers of the interwar period. Known for his minimalist ...

Fine quality antique Regency rosewood tea caddy, having a outstanding quality 19th Century rosewood and mother of pearl inlaid sarcophagus shaped tea caddy, with a quality carved mou...

This Tunbridge box still bank is indigenous to the Tunbridge ware cottage industries of the town of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England in the 18th and 19th c...

Rectangular cherrywood box with square parquetry in various woods. The lid is fitted with a bronze key escutcheon and handle. A sliding side mechanism with a removable panel reveals ...

Fabulous and large rosewood and teak fitted letter writing box with brass inlay. Numerous cubbies with lids for various items. Slotted back panel fo...

Raised on Four Legs with a Domed Top From our Jewellery Box collection, we are delighted to introduce into the market this stunning Tortoiseshell and Silver Jewellery Box by William...

A Stunning Late Grand Tour Collectors Box 19th Century Mahogany & Ebony Pietra Dura Karlsbad, Germany. The Lid Is Decorated with Marble And Agate Geometric Motifs. With Continen...

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...