Texas Decorative Boxes

Small Portuguese Majolica Cabbage Tureen Aires C. Leal Caldas da Rainha circa 1950.

A stylish antique Art Deco English tortoise shell and mother of pearl tessellated box with a hinged lid and brass interior, circa 1920. A fabulous accent piece for any room! Dimens...

French Majolica Rabbit Money Bank Circa 1900.

Large green Majolica Money Bank Squirrel Circa 1950.

A 19th century French ebonized box with brass inlay, the lock signed Vervelle Faut. Vervelle was a famed French maker of boxes, caskets and cabinetry, renowned for their fine craftsm...

Hailing from Gueux, in the northeast of France, this incombustible cast iron safe was constructed by the French company, Bauche, circa 1870, as indicated by the foliate placard on th...

A superb antique 19th century English coromandel and rosewood fitted travel vanity or dressing box, circa 1870. This fine box contains the original contents including silverplate lidded cut glass jars, sewing tools...

19th Century Pair of French Majolica Cabbage Tureen.

A rare and exceptional finely painted vintage Imperial Russian lacquerware box. Exquisitely hand-crafted in the Palekhsky District (Палех) of wes...

An incredible Swedish hand-painted chest, having hand-forged iron straps and fittings. Original key included.

Austrian majolica gooseberries basket, circa 1920.

A lovely Swedish folk art footed trunk / box in Nordic pine with original blue paint from Hälsingland, Sweden, dated 1813. It has a domed top, hand painted initials and decorative fl...

An exceptional circa 1860 Russian decorative box crafted in carved bone and richly embellished with stained green bone panels, intricate etched decoration, and finely detailed hand p...

Incredible matching handcrafted Forget Me Not lided box with matching ash tray. This handcrafted set is in excellent condition and is comprised of fused glass with a pieced pattern ...

A rare and exceptional Baroque period Flemish or Dutch red tortoiseshell, bone, horn, ebony, and rosewood lift-top chest with drawer, circa 1725, mounted on a later stand. 17th/18...

Keep your jewelry and important documents locked up in this elegant, antique safe from the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. Crafted circa 1880, and built in cast iron, this heavy ...

A small and delightful Japanese yellow ground cloisonne round trinket or incense box, Meiji Period, circa 1910, Japan. The small box of squat, round shape, and may originally have b...

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...

A fine and elegant Korean black lacquer and abalone mother of pearl inlay "longevity" box, circa 1930s, Korea. The box, most likely used to sto...

Portuguese Majolica Cabbage Tureen or Soup Tureen signed Sousa Barcelos Portugal Circa 1930. With a spoon.

Very rare Small Majolica Brown Deer Tureen Caugant, circa 1950. Could be a prototype for the manufacture. Miniature tureen H / 3.2 inches.

A rare and exceptional Aesthetic Movement period Bohemian enameled jewel casket attributed to luxury glassmaker Moser. Hand-crafted in the late 19th cent...

Late 20th Century Postmodern tessellated travertine and black marble box with brass inlay and brown cloth interior lining.

19th Century Italian carved walnut document lion box.

Majolica cottage Money Bank Box, Circa 1900.

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...

Rare French Majolica Pineapple Basket Box Sarreguemines, circa 1890. Height / 6 inches , Diameter / 3.8 inches.

Large French Majolica lobster tureen or box with green glaze, circa 1950.

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

French Majolica Rabbit Money Bank Circa 1900.

Majolica grapes tureen Sarreguemines, circa 1930.

A highly decorative vintage Chinese red painted stacking picnic box and carrier, painted in the Tibetan style, circa 1990's, China. The large painted and textured wood picnic box and carrier comprised of three trays or boxes, and one lid, all housed in a handled carrier. The red painted boxes and cover stack. A large roundel design of a golden dragon face within a cloud collar...

Majolica grapes tureen Sarreguemines, circa 1930.

Lovely little 19th century ring jar or pill box made of a thick wine colored ruby glass. It has a miniature of a Basilica on top, gilt metal mounts with beautiful filigree on the si...

Large and rare 19th century Majolica jewel box signed Choisy Le Roi. Renaissance style.   

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...

Maitland Smith Mother Of Pearl Box. Offered is a very large decorative box of tessellated mother of pearl in the geometric Art Deco styl...

PRESENTING A LOVELY Wedgwood Jasperware Pale Blue Small Circular Lidded Vanity Box. Made by Wedgwood in England in 1982 and fully and properly marked/stamped on base. Marked: “Wedgwood, Made in England …. “PH” … “T” ….. “82”. 2.25 inches tall lidded vanity box with a diameter of 3.25 inches. Rolling vine and grape cameo reliefs, all over the lid and base sides. Fabulous large pointed finial on the lid with floral cameo reliefs on the sides. In very good original condition with no chips or cracks. A ‘PERFECT’ match for the larger and almost identical, lidded jasperware box...

PRESENTING A STUNNING 19C Irish Coromandel Wood Campaign Decanter Box. STUNNING mid-Victorian Decanter box from circa 1860-1880. Made in Dublin...

A stunning Japanese Edo period lacquer tanzakubako, box for poem cards, late 18th-early 19th century, Edo Period, Japan. Attributed to the Igarashi School, this box is masterfully ...

A superb example of provincial craftsmanship, this richly carved walnut panetière was crafted in Provence circa 1830. The hanging bread cabinet features an arched crest topped with t...

A stunning and scarce antique English Victorian era burlwood voting box. Hand-crafted in the 19th century, the small table box having a rectangular case wi...

Small Majolica Lidded Tureen Mixed Earths , circa 1890.

Designed to appear as a stack of books, this box is the perfect place to store your treasures. The hinged box is made of wood, and the books are trimmed in gold paint. This piece we...

19th Majolica chestnut tureen signed Sarreguemines. rare Bag trompe L'oeil.

PRESENTING A LOVELY 19C Anglo Indian Vizagapatam Bone and Shell Domed Stationery Box – ‘Alice’s Box’. Made in Vizagapatam, India, circa 1860-80. We call this one: “Alice’s Box”! It has lived ‘a hard, well used and traveled life’, as is evident from the number of losses and repairs, as is obvious from the photos, especially to the faux ivory panels and bands to the top. The bonus to the loss of the frieze panels to the dome has a ‘bonus’, however, as their loss has revealed the most GORGEOUS faux blonde tortoiseshell underneath! The box is dome/casket shaped. The top has 3 bands, with the center one being the original. The 2 side bands are later ivorine. The faux ivory and hand-painted medallions on the domed lid, have been saved and they depict Hindu Gods, Vishnu and Shiva. The front and side panels are still in pretty good shape and are decorated with lac ink (indelible ink made from crushed beetles) depicting lovely floral designs. The domed lid open to reveal a series of open compartments for envelopes, writing paper etc. and one lidded panel for stamps. Inside the box are 2 paper labels: one probably being the original item ticket and the other with: ” Alice’s address is 272 Ashworth Ave, Toronto 4, Ontario”. Probably, the original owner? Hence, we call it ‘Alice’s Box’. What a journey/life this box has had! Made in India, made its way to Canada, back to Ireland and then to Texas! This is why, WE LOVE ANTIQUES...

19th Century Majolica Box Choisy Le Roi with a floral and leaves decor.

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...

Small 19th Century Palissy Majolica Pumpkin Tureen.

Large Italian Decorative Embossed Leather Box. Offered is a shapely mid century Italian decorative leather box. This large scale leather box is a beautiful shade of red/orange with g...

A fine and impressive Japanese gold maki-e decorated black lacquer five-tier jubako with presentation tray, two lids, and the original tomobako storage box, Meiji period, late 19th c...

18th century Italian painted and parcel gilt reliquary box. This lovely large Italian Baroque box is made of painted and parcel gilt wood surrounded by ...

Place this elegant antique coal scuttle next to a fireplace or hearth for both function and charm. Crafted in England, circa 1880, the oblong bucket is hand-hammered in copper and si...

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...

A rich and elegant Japanese export red ginbari cloisonne trinket box, Meiji Period, circa 1900, Japan. The attractive Japanese cloisonne box features a striking textured red ginbari...

Large French Black Forest wood box, circa 1900. 11.8 by 7.3 inches , H / 5.3 inches. Music instruments Jewel box.

French Majolica cow tureen circa 1940 signed Caugant.

A rare and magnificent antique Tuareg peoples mixed metal mounted wooden chest / coffer / monumental table box. Most impressive size, hand-crafted in ...

A stylized late 20th Century tessellated travertine and green agate box with brass trim, hinges and wood lined.

PRESENTING A STUNNING Early 19C French Gold Box with Enamel and Miniature Portrait. Box made with brass but has been plated with 18ct Gold with beau...