Inlay Boxes

Walnut veneered. Footed. Silk-lined. Key is included.

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,...

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 ...

This mother-of-pearl inlay perfume box is a rare and complete treasure from the famed Palais-Royal of France’s Second Empire. The box is a work of art, meticulously fashioned to deli...

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...

Exquisite handcrafted Middle Eastern Lebanese mosaic marquetry wood box. Small octagonal walnut Syrian style box intricately decorated with Moorish...

A beautiful tea caddy with original key and original interior it is black lacquer, mother of pearl and has a brass inlay design all over the box. 19th century, France.

Heading : Tunbridge ware stationery box with image of Eridge Castle. Date : c1850 Period : Victoria Origin : Tunbridge Wells. Kent Decoration : Central mosic of Eridge Castle within ...

Metal decorative box with bone and stone inlay. The exterior of the box showcases a mosaic bone inlay adorned with turquoise and red stones set in pewter. The inside of the box is li...

Mexican cabinet. Made of tortoiseshell, pen-engraved and wood. Possible Oaxaca or Puebla, 17th century.

Horn Jewelry Box - Wood and Horn Marquetry Inlays Decorative Box - Morocco 1970s Elegant box made of horn marquetry, the inside is made of wood. Preci...

Vintage Middle Eastern Moorish wooden jewelry box inlaid with marquetry. Middle Eastern box handcrafted in very fine Moorish micro mosaic diamonds,...

A 19th Century French Napoleon III marquetry box made of rosewood veneer with fine mother-of-pearl and brass inlay. The interior is lined in paper and the inside of the lid has a mir...

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...

A unique and exceptional Japanese miniature or dollhouse export lacquered chest Kyoto, circa 1620-1640 The chest of rectangular shape with a domed lid, decorated in Transition-style, in gold hiramaki-e on a black background within reserved lobed cartouches decorated with landscapes animated with birds and rabbits, on a shagreen or samegawa background. The borders are decorated with geometric friezes, the box with gilt-copper mounts, the interior decorated in red lacquer. Measures: H 9.2 x W 14.5 x D 7.2 cm This miniature is of exceptional quality and a perfect copy of the famous large size Transition-style coffers. It was most likely ordered by a Dutch lady for her dollhouse (poppenhuis), like the famous Petronella Oortman (1656-1716) doll-house, which is now one of the highlights in the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, or Petronella Oortmans-de la Court’s (1624-1707) dollhouse in the collection of the Centraal Museum Utrecht. Sara Rothé of Amsterdam in 1743 ordered a miniature black lacquered ivory tripod table with gold chinoiserie decoration by Jurriaan Buttner (Monika Kopplin, European Lacquer, 2010, p. 56). Other Japanned dollhouse...

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...

PRESENTING A LOVELY 19C Anglo Indian Highly Carved Sadeli Mosaic Inlaid Sewing Box. Made in Bombay, India, circa 1880. The box is made of sandalwood with highly carved raised teak wood panels on all sides, depicting temple scenes, animals and foliage. The box is in a sarcophagus form. It is edged in bone (and we can tell it is bone and not ivory, from the color and evidence of capillaries, which are not found in ivory), and banded with Bombay Sadeli mosaic and ebony veneer. The lid opens to reveal a removable tray with various open compartments and lidded compartments. 5 lidded compartments, 1 unlidded compartment and 8 holders for thimbles, etc The tray lifts to reveal a blue velvet (original) lined section, for storing jewelry etc, with sections for collars etc. The inside of the lid has a removable mirror (the mirror is missing on this one but can easily be replaced). Behind the mirror is the original green velvet lining. It has its original brass carry handles on the sides and sits on 4 silvered button feet (of recent origin). Some repairs to the exterior and condition issues (priced accordingly), but still a LOVELY COLLECTIBLE box! 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! 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...

Folk Art Marquetry Box or Chest with Inlaid Star, French 19th Century Beautiful decorative wooden box or small chest. Folk Art from the 1890s, it features an inlaid star motif on t...

Late 19th-century English-imported tea box from China. Decorated with beautiful red and black hand-painted flora and fauna, and equipped with rectangular iron handles, the box is mou...

1950's Anglo Indian, Indo Persian style micro mosaic inlaid jewelry box with lid. Large vintage intricate inlaid middle Eastern Persian style box with floral and geometric Islamic Mo...

Vintage Hexagonal mosaic faux tortoise shell wooden box by Maitland-Smith with brass inlay. Made in the 1990's in an art deco style. Maitland-Smith Label still on the bottom with bra...

Late Georgian/Regency Period Tea Caddy "Optic/Medallion" Tea Caddy Attributed to Gillows of Lancaster A stunningly constructed English Sheraton-period tea caddy dating to the late ...

Art Deco Sycamore and Burr Walnut Veneer Inlay Cigar Exchange Box With Felt Base From The Connaught Hotel London Supplied With A Humidity Thermometer, Velvet Pouch, Cigar Cutter Wit...

In our workshop we apply eggshell lacquer to many things mostly using the inside of the eggshell. The mosaic pattern is achieved with a cracking motion using the ends of pointed tool...

The exterior surface decorated with striking geometric panels of contrasting light & dark fruitwood veneers with ebonized mouldings, the slant top opening on later iron hinges to a plain interior housing a small hinged compartment for writing implements...

“Première Dame” is a jewelry box made of ebony. The inside is divided in different compartments covered in soft suede. The engraved decoration on the lid...

A sailor's ditty box for holding a sailor's valuables (mending needles, thread, pipe tobacco, razor, mementos, etc.) having a mirrored and gilt framed interior lid, with pull-out com...

Great craftsmanship with a great Patina from the early 1900s inlaid with Wood and other woodtypes. If you are looking for a stylish and truly decorative box to grace your table or d...

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...

An Indonesian Peranakan mother-of-pearl inlaid mastic sirih casket with silver mounts Jakarta (Batavia), circa 1720-1730, the silver hinges marked for Batavia, maker’s mark HS or SH...

Unusual Antique Victorian quality rosewood inlaid writing box with two lift up tops opening to reveal a writing surface with original ink bottles an...

Antique Middle Eastern Inlaid Mosaic Jewelry or Cigarette Box with Mother-of-Pearl, Early 20th Century, Handcrafted Syrian or Egyptian Mosaic Inlaid Box with Bone & Mother-of-Pea...

Immerse yourself in the artistry of Montagnani Firenze with this extraordinary box, a rare Italian masterpiece crafted circa 1970. A true testament to Mid-Century modernist design, i...

Beautiful Hans Hansen (1884-1940) matchbox with Silver inlay from the 1950s Made in Denmark. Price for one box.  

A fine Japanese export red lacquer box with Masonic symbols Kyoto/Nagasaki, 1800-1820 Red lacquer decorated with scattered flowers and flying birds with long tails in gold, wit...

Round jewelry box made of solid turned walnut and decorated with small ebony inserts. The inlay forms an ascending geometric pattern. The lid opens by splitting into two parts by rot...

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

Vintage Rajasthani Pietra Dura White Stone Inlay Taj Mahal India Style coaster plates. Rajasthani inlaid stone marble decorative set of 7 small roun...

A rare and exquisite set of three French octagonal nesting boxes in straw marquetry on wood, handcrafted circa 1970 in the refined spirit of Jean-Michel Frank. Each lid showcases a u...

Little wood box decorated with symetrical marquetry representing a flower. Made circa 1960 in Morocco. Good condition, very few signs of use. Shipping: 11 / 15 / 6 cm 0.5 kg

A 17th century silver mounted Coromandel wood with mother of pearl inlay traveling box with a Interior fitted with drawers and a reliquary cabinet. W...

A very handsome 19th century dresser box hand constructed in Arbutus wood. (Arbutus wood is an indigenous wood specific to the southwestern region of Ireland). The hinged lid featuri...

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 ...

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...

Unusual antique Victorian quality inlaid coromandel wood writing box having quality inlaid coromandel wood lift up tops opening to reveal a green leather writing surface opening to r...

An extraordinary 19th century English solid mahogany tea caddy. This shaped box has a carved, angular top outlined with satinwood for subtle contrast, opening to a fitted interior. I...

High-quality handcrafted miniature furniture, a detailed replica of a Baroque tabernacle secretary from the original period around 1760: Spruce wood body, veneered with walnut and nu...

This exquisite French Napoléon III black lacquer box is a fine 19th-century desk accessory distinguished by its elegant proportions and Boulle-style decorative cartouche. Crafted wit...

Fine antique Regency inlaid brass rosewood tea caddy having a spectacular inlaid brass top and carved moulded rosewood edge, lift up lid opening to reveal a fitted interior with the ...

Presenting an amazing set of 6 Mindanao brass silver betel boxes, Philippines. Betel chewing was prevalent in the southern Philippines as in much o...

This stunning 18th-century Italian box is a fine example of Baroque artistry, embodying the period's characteristic grandeur and attention to detail. Crafted from rich walnut, the bo...

A well-made antique, circa 1830, English tea caddy with stunning marquetry inlays, warm coloring, superb detailing, and luminous rich patina! When tea first arrived in Europe in t...

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...

An elegant fine quality English Regency period tea caddy. Circa 1815 Born in the early 19th century, exquisitely hand-crafted from the finest exotic rosewood, rectangular sarcopha...

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...

1980s decorative pen shell cube box attributed to Maitland Smith. Medium brown pen shell with dark gray tessellated stone accents. Wood lined box. No ma...

Exquisite handcrafted white mother of pearl inlaid and hand carved lidded box. Small octagonal Anglo Indian decorative box intricately decorated with Moorish motif designs which hav...

Early 19th Century Karl Johan Box with Inlay Ribbon Decorations in Fruitwood, Sweden. Key not included

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...

English Georgian Chinroserie bow front tortoise shell tea caddy with a hinged tiered lid, Chinese landscape mother of pearl inlays with flanking pagodas, fences, & foliage trees, central paktong plaque and escutcheon, bone fitted interior border with two lidded tortoiseshell foil lined compartments, and resting on the original four bone ball...