Asian Decorative Boxes

Nice Japanese glove box in red, yellow and black lacquered wood dating from the end of the 19th century. It is decorated with delicate gold, black and red characters. Inside you have...

For one short decade, from around 1910 to 1920, pewter was all the rage in China’s bustling commercial centers of Shanghai and Canton. Drawn to pewter’s soft, silvery glow, artists t...

Two Palembang Peranakan lacquerware bridal boxes and a tray South Sumatra, Palembang, lacquer work by Chinese Peranakan artisans, mid 20th century Woo...

Mid 19th Century Asian Wooden decorative storage box with lid. Measures 13.5"W x 11"D x 11.5"H.

This is a very beautiful Japanese box dating from the beginning of the 20th century. It is lacquered in brown color, with flower patterns. It was made in Japan.

This rustic, wooden container is an early 20th century rice measure, used to portion out servings of dry rice and other grains. In keeping with the larger rice measures used at marke...

The lid of this small box is a shard of glazed porcelain, a remnant of the antique pottery destroyed during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960-70s. Likely dating to the late Qing-dy...

Presenting an absolutely fantastic 19C Anglo Ceylonese lap desk of museum quality. We can safely say that this is one of the finest lap desks we hav...

A Dutch colonial box from Batavia in the former Dutch East Indies. Hand-carved with floral motives in ebony, used for jewelry or letters, ca. 1800. Origi...

Magnificent round box in red lacquer in two parts. Completely decorated by hand. With gilded, gold decoration. There are floral and geometric decorations, handmade interlacing, with gold leaf. The box is placed on 4 feet. The interior is lacquered black. Very nice dimensions. This box shows some wear due to its age and authenticity. This round Chinese box in red and gold lacquered woven bamboo Was probably a wedding box, a work box, a storage box. It can be used as a hat box, sewing box, games box or tea bag box...

This seemingly simple wooden vase is a design object of infinite beauty and elegance that can be placed in either an antique or a modern or contemporary setting. They are Indian arte...

This item is a vintage Chinese political or commemorative ink box from the Republic of China (ROC) era, dating to the early 20th century. It features the portrait of Sun Yat-sen and ...

Two Japanese old fashion Kiku - book style lunchbox By Teinen. The oldy memory after WWII in the school time of Japan. A wonderful design of the Bento Box to include the independent rice box...

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 ...

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

This is a set of 4 vintage nesting boxes. A Japanese, lacquered quartet of small storage boxes with handpainted decor, dating to the Art Deco per...

This is a porcelain box which we use during tea ceremony. It is called Kougou. This was made in Japan around 1950s in Showa era. This was made with style 'Oribe'. This item will com...

This is a finely hand-painted West Asian miniature artwork on a ceramic/porcelain box, probably made of leg plates, framed, and painted. The work features an extremely fine painting ...

Pretty little Japanese lacquered box. On a golden metal medal inside we can read the royal motto of the Netherlands, adorned with a lion: "Je maintiendrai...

This is a porcelain box which we use during tea ceremony. It is called Kougou. This was made in Japan around 1950s in Showa era. This was made with style 'Seto'. In seto ware, this k...

This petite brass box was originally part of an early 20th century betel box set from Indonesia, one of several small containers that held the individual ingredients of a betel quid....

A lovely small Chinese export cloisonne trinket box with a carved hardstone roundel, Early Republic Period circa 1915, China. The small cloisonne box set on four short bun feet, and...

This is a Chinese Export porcelain Lidded Box, hand painted with a figural decoration, made in China, circa 1920 The box is well potted in an oval shape, the lid having a domed top...

An asian iron and wood coopered bucket, 19th century. 12 ½ inches iwde by 9 ¼ inches tall

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 ...

Chinese hand-painted pillow box with copper latch and handles on the sides Width 10.5 inches / height 6 inches / depth 6 inches 1 available in stock in Italy Order reference #: FABIO...

Antique Oriental Chinese Export Black Lacquered Gilt Painted Covered Box 1940s. Large Asian Chinese black lacquered tea box with nume...

Decorative Box for Cigarettes in wood brown color India

An old Chinese lacquered fabric over wood lidded box with hand-painted calligraphy and iron braces. This old Chinese lacquered box, a perfect example of traditional craftsmanship, is...

Indian "Bombay" dresser/jewelry box with a mirror in the lid and raised on a "tray" base with silvered feet. The exterior with exotic wood and sadeli work (micro-mosaic inlay) framin...

An European Chinese export "Canton enamel" oval box, 18th century Qianlong, (1736-1795) An enamel box with floral decor made for the export for Euro...

Vintage Hollywood Regency large Maitland-Smith style tessellated Tan / Coral marble with brass trim pill form decorative box with removable lid and lined felt interior. In fine condi...

The White Shagreen Rhomboid Waste Bin by R&Y Augousti is a masterpiece of functional design, combining luxurious materials and artisanal craftsmanship. Its exterior is adorned with m...

Decorative Mughal Raj Vizagapatam Carved Veneered Bone Jewelry Rectangular shape Box. Vintage Asian lidded box crafted with bone finely engraved and hand painted in black with geometric Moorish designs. Delightful Anglo Indian footed box crafted with an intricate patterned polished bone inlay mosaic over a wood frame. Handmade in Vizagapatam, India, mid 20th century. Elegant intricate pattern. A true work of Islamic artwork...

This is a fine box made by Maitland Smith. The box is made of tesselaited marble and has a teak interior. The top is inlaid with a x designed in marble.

The Black Oak Tissue Box by R&Y Augousti epitomizes refined minimalism and luxury craftsmanship. Fashioned from premium oak, this tissue box stands as a testament to masterful handcr...

An Indian rustic wooden box from the 19th century, with nicely weathered appearance, iron details and incised motifs. Created in India during the 1...

Gorgeous vintage handmade silver Vase. Sorry we don't know anything about it, but its beautiful. It is marked with a sign of the silversmith. I am unsure of the age of this object an...

An Indian rustic wooden box from the 19th century, with nicely weathered appearance, iron details and incised motifs. Created in India during the 1...

Another stunning 19th century Anglo-Ceylonese piece. Made circa 1880 in Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka) of Coromandel wood and specimen woods. This is a simply gorgeous and quality item!! Tray made of various compartments with various high quality specimen wood lids, all edged and banded in chevrons of bone, silver or pewter and ebony. The tray itself is made of expensive coromandel wood. There are two open sections on either side of the tray which have bone and hand-painted lac ends. The main tray sits onto a base made of coromandel wood with green baize lining. This tray could have a number of practical uses, for keeping stationary, watches, jewelry, or thinking outside of the box, holding you remote controls and candy!! We have a matching box also in our Inventory and for auction. 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 wooden Chinese box is a 19th-century snack box, once presented as a gift for a holiday or special occasion. To the delight of the recipients, the box would have been filled with...

This is the Japanese lunch boxes. Traditionally, Osechi (a special kind of food for the new year) is served with this kind of lunch boxes called 'JY...

This lovely silver box exemplifies Japanese refinement in all crafts. The petite bonbonnière is formed of high quality silver with a rectangular cartouche form and a removable lid. T...

Vintage South Asian / Kashmir hand painted papier mâché box with removeable lid - featuring a profuse floral pattern over the top and sides set against a black lacquer background - h...

Japanese novelty wall mounted key hanger in the shape of this jumbo padlock in patinated brass. Curious details with xl revits and key.shaped handle. ...

Vietnamese silver box, late 19th century. Rectangular with straight sides. Cover flat and hinged. Box sides have embossed blossoming branches, bamboo...

It is a carved wooden box, brown and black. One part is hand carved, the other Painted lacquered. It was made in China during the 1930s and 1940s, so it is from the Republic period.

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

Vintage South Asian hand painted wooden box with removeable lid - featuring a full length portrait of an Indian woman in a pink sari to the lid...

This open brass box was originally the case of an early 20th century betel box set from Indonesia, filled with small containers that held the individual ingredients of a betel quid. ...

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...

Pair of Hollywood Regency inlaid mother-of-pearl lidded canister boxes by Maitland Smith, circa 1990s. The set is in very good vintage condition and the boxes measure 10"W x 4"D x ...

A lovely vintage Korean lacquer box in bright red and decorated with mother-of-pearl inlays circa 1970-80s. The square form box features an auspicio...

Rare 19th Century Kashmir Hand Painted Inkwell and Boxes Set A highly decorative and rare example of a late 19th Century hand painted Kashmir inkwell and boxes set. Size: (inkwel...

1960's Chinese Box in Carved Red Lacquer, Bronze Hardware and Blue Enamel Interior. Marked with Chinese export sticker

A truly fine hand-made, Chinese Zitan box. The top-ranking quality and precious material among all wood species in the world.  

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...

This set of three square boxes by R&Y Augousti is a stunning example of refined design, where the interplay of materials creates a captivating visual contrast. The textured white sha...

Large Chinese black lacquered box with numerous figures and gilt detail. Chinese round black lacquer and gilt painted box, made for the expor...

A gorgeous antique Tibetan bronze filigree and inlaid agate trinket jar China, Early 20th Century Measures: 3.5"W x 3.5"D x 4.25"H. Good original vintage condition, with beautiful...