Inlay Boxes

According to motto "Perseverantia et Amicis" (Perseverance and Friends) with Bird (dove) holding olive-branch, this amazing, luxurious "necessaire" comes from family ofacknowledged L...

A Kazaribako "Ornamented Box" made of glass by Japanese artist Kyohei Fujita (1921-2004) circa 1980s. The hand-blown glass box with fitting lid is of an oval shape, slightly irregula...

An ebony humidor lined with Spanish Cedar, inlaid with malachite banding on the sides and a map of Russia on the top with Diamonds showing the location of Moscow and St Petersburg and a gilt bronze Russian Brown Bear mounted...

English Modern sterling silver box, 1919. Rectangular with straight sides. Cover curved and hinged with short tab; on top inlaid agate in form of stylized thistle in rondel. Silver l...

Embriachi workshop marquetry casket Northern Italy, 15th century Alla certosina inlays (bone, stained bone, pewter and wood) H 28.2 x W 18 x D 14 cm This beautiful casket of rectangular form is richly decorated with the characteristic geometric patterns of the Embriachi style. The intricate geometric patterns are fashioned by juxtaposing lighter and darker pieces of wood, (colored) bone, horn and pewter. The lid and base are framed by a broad band of horn. When ivory became scarce in Europe due to disrupted trade routes, bone was substituted. The attention to Symmetry and balance created an harmonious visual effect Enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of the casket. The application of geometrical motifs is in Italy known as marquetry ‘alla Certosina’, named after the Certosina Church in Pavia with its famous altarpiece decorated in this way. This is ‘intarsia technique’, a term derived from the Arabic 'tarsi', which means ‘incrustation' recalling ancient mosaics made from various materials. These geometric elements not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of the caskets but also demonstrate the versatility and skill of the artisans in creating multifaceted works of art. ‘Alla Certosina’ became famous through the Northern Italian Embriachi family who achieved a particularly high standard in working in this technique. Venice in particular was known for the production of these luxurious boxes. The caskets, hexagonal or rectangular, surmounted by a lid decorated in several registers constitute the secular, albeit equally renowned component of the workshop’s production, in addition to mirror frames and various everyday objects. The method of fabrication of those objects was based on two concepts that underlay pre-industrial production: standardization and modularity, thanks to a distribution of skills according to the different phases of fabrication. even the realization of the marquetry motifs (in the form of ingots from which portions of the desired size were cut) were therefore entrusted to various specialized craftsmen, as were the assembly phase. Today better known thanks to the extensive research work recently carried out by Michele Tomasi, this workshop owes its name to its founder and owner, the Florentine Baldassare Ubriachi (or degli Embriachi), a merchant and banker established in the Tuscan capital before he settled in Venice in 1395. Together with sculptor Giovanni di Jacopo, who directed the workshop, from the last years of the fourteenth century, Baldassare oversaw a production that was truly original, and still easily recognizable today, comprising monumental altarpieces and various objects, primarily triptychs and caskets. The precise location of the workshop is unknown, except that it originated in Florence and in ca. 1431 there was apparently a workshop in Venice, in the area of S Luca. They employed local workers specializing in 'certosina' (inlay of stained woods, bone and horn), and the workshop produced items carved in bone (usually horse or ox) with wood and bone marquetry. The geometric decoration of Embriachi caskets reflects the artistic complexity and attention to detail that characterized their work. this inlaid casket is a testament to the skill and artistry of the Embriachi family and serves as a stunning example of the decorative arts of the late Middle Ages. Related Literature : E. Berger, Prunk-Kassetten: Europäischen Meisterwerke aus acht Jahrhunderten / Ornamental Caskets...

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

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...

Worn stew marquetry box by Jean Michel Frank. Interior is lined with cork, the straw is woven in marquetry pattern and the knob for access to the interior is a solid brass ball. The ...

****free shipping and import fees to the USA.***** 19th Century Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Brass Corner Mounted Writing Slope With Fitted Interior A rich figured walnut veneer, ...

Russian silver and niello box depicting long-lost Moscow landmark, ca 1879. Rectangular with curved corners; right-hinged with push tab. On cover is the Sukharev Tower, a ceremonial ...

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 Art Nouveau box or jewelry box with beautiful marquetry. The curved box is decorated all around with a so-called cube marquetry. By cleverly arranging different colored wood...

This sleek set of 3 Desk Boxes by R&Y Augousti exemplifies the perfect balance between modern elegance and timeless luxury. Crafted in black pen shell with a curved top, each box is ...

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 ...

A very fine and visually striking Biedermeier Period tea caddy of exceptional quality, demonstrating a highly elevated form and a most complex application of exotic woods. The hinged...

This gorgeous octagonal wooden box with a slightly domed top is decorated in mostly shimmering mother of pearl fine quality inlay with some bone and black lacquer interspersed. The b...

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...

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...

19th century American folk art box with decorated with inlaid hearts, diamonds, triangles and shields. Possibly sailor made, this sweet little box was likely a valentine or keepsake ...

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...

The small rectangular silver snuff box, chased with foliage decorations and featuring a hinged back, is set with a detailed micromosaic plaque on top. The plaque depicts a rural land...

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...

Late 18th century, English George III mahogany knife box fitted out for letters / ballots. The interior voided of the old knife compartments. One small remov...

The “Peacock Box” set by R&Y Augousti is a true masterpiece of modern luxury, where organic form meets exceptional craftsmanship. The distinctive, fluid shapes of these boxes cre...

The "Coco" round box in black shagreen with bronze patina brass exudes unparalleled luxury and craftsmanship. Its impeccably quilted shagreen surface is a tactile masterpiece, echoin...

The "Victoria" Box Set by Kifu Paris exudes luxury and craftsmanship, featuring two exquisite boxes in cream shagreen, each adorned with bronze patina brass accents and a striking se...

Very fine. Early 19th century Napoleon tea caddy. Brass inlay. Crystal vessel (not original).

The "Coco" round box in cream shagreen with bronze patina brass exudes unparalleled luxury and craftsmanship. Its impeccably quilted shagreen surface is a tactile masterpiece, echoin...

The Coco box collection by Kifu Paris exemplifies luxury through its intricate design and meticulous craftsmanship. This set of three quilted boxes in cream shagreen, framed with a b...

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...

An English gentleman’s traveling chest circa 1860, made by J.Braman. Framed in brass with ornate brass floral inlay. The interior is lined with red velvet and red leather with gilt t...

Quality antique 19th Century walnut tea caddy with Tunbridge inlay, having a quality domed shaped lid with beautiful Tunbridge inlay opening to reveal two compartments for tea. D. 1880

A charming scarce Spanish Colonial era parquetry inlaid cedar legged storage chest (large table box / small trunk) with nicely aged warm rich dark patina. circa 1790 Rustic handmade...

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...

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...

This large impressive cabinet featuring a crossbanded walnut and Kingwood and inlaid with satinwood stringing line alternating with Ebony wood inlays. Clean and distilling angelic m...

A collection of five (5) wood boxes: Two are by studio artist L.W. Joy and were all created in the early 2000's and are turned from two exotic hardwood species. They are the two sma...

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

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...

Fine silver, niello and vermeil silver antique snuff box depicting a handsome Scottish bagpipe player performing in a bucolic countryside setting. ...

An exceptionally finely worked Persian Khatam-kari micro-mosaic jewelry box, handcrafted with thousands of minute inlaid elements arranged into intricate geometric star and rosette p...

Exquisite handcrafted Middle Eastern mosaic marquetry inlaid walnut wood box. vintage small trinket box intricately decorated with Moorish motif des...

Pair of 19th century Italian Inlaid boxes in the Renaissance style. With wonderful geometric inlay, in various fruit woods, done to give the optical illusion of depth. The inlaid top...

A very fine late 18th century, George III period mahogany knife box or cutlery canteen with fitted interior. Figured sloping lid over a serpentine front with satinwood crossbanding a...

White Makrana marble, used to build the Taj Mahal, from Indian is the densest marble on the planet. This handmade octagonal shaped makrana marble box ha...

Antique Victorian marquetry jewelry box with satinwood and ebony stringing - fine quality with aged patina - featuring veneered top and sides - diamond shaped satinwood key escutcheo...

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 ...

19th century folk art box, with burl wood veneer and mother of pearl and fruit wood inlay. The surface decorated with geometric, diamond and star motifs. The raised top with a banded...

Mid-20th century Moorish Spain Inlaid Marquetry Mosaic Box. Handcrafted great geometric one of a kind Moorish design. Middle Eastern Syrian style, Moor...

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 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...

19th century Anglo-Indian Mughal wood box, inlaid and hand carved with the Taj Mahal and some flowers all around. Jewelry box, Anglo-Raj box from India in great condition. Nice Mughal Bombay Box...

A fine and rare 17th-century William and Mary olive oyster floral marquetry lace box, circa 1685. England The cross grain olive moulded and holly banded top is centred by an oval of...

Framed In Boxwood From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this exceptional Georgian Paper Scroll Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of e...

A French gilt-bronze mounted, fruit wood and ivory marquetry metal cloisonné jewellery box by Maison Alphonse Giroux and Ferdinand Duvinage, Paris, ...

Art Deco Precious Stone Jewelry Box - Pewter, Amethyst & Brass - France 1940s Elegant French jewelry box, made of pewter with a brass and amethyst decor on top. Finely engraved...

A small walnut and wood box with very handsome details on side and inlaid in brass. The top pivots upwards and does not come off. Easy to store the smallest of things and drugs. O...

An exquisite 19th century luxury sailor's box in sandalwood with dramatically contrasting bone and ebony geometric decoration and string inlay having raised center tier with sliding ...

Stunning little 19th century tabletop stationary box made of micro-mosaic. Made in Britain, circa 1870, in Tunbridge Wells, hence these type of works are called Tunbridgeware! ...

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...