Asian Boxes

A fine entirely handcrafted antique cigarette case with a gilded interior. Its front depicts a battle scene where the warriors, presumably Chine...

Crafted from solid white marble with elegant gray veining, this refined box features a clear glass lid etched with a delicate design. The natural stone adds weight and timeless beaut...

This is a large squared shaped Persian enameled painting silver box. It depicts a scene of a Persian family with the parent seated and their three child...

A round wooden box from India. Might be some type of exotic rosewood. Circa 1920s, maybe a little earlier. Box with six ivory dots on lid, ivory feet and finial.

A hand painted papier mâché square box with stripes on the sides and flowers on the top. It is signed Kashmir. Circa 1960s.

Anglo Raj inlaid marble pietra dura decorative box with lid. Handmade marble decorative lidded box inlaid with semi precious stones, jasper and carnelian for orange. It is the same craft that you see in the Taj Mahal. Very nice fine pietra dura art...

Betel Nut is consumed on a daily basis in a large portion of the Indonesian Archipelago. In Java, betel nut was offered as a sign of respect and hospitality when people would visit o...

A lovely Chinese turquoise cloisonne trinket box with images of the Hundred Antiques, Republic Period, circa 1920, China. The rectangular box de...

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

Richly carved hardwood Indian box for storage of fans in a fine quality Late 19th century length 38 cm, width 6.5 and 12.5 cm, height 7 cm Aged patina

A Meiji period cloisonné box and cover with sparrows, prunus and bamboo, the rectangular box worked in gold and silver wire and coloured enamels with birds amongst a blossoming tree ...

Log Jar, an usual object from the Forest collection, has intricate brass and resin inlay to resemble a log of wood, with a cute boney lid. For his debut creations, Marcantonio int...

Red lacquer box with the lid representing a scholar and children playing in a mountainous garden, the outer sides covered with repeated geometric patterns. This box was made in China...

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...

This is a small vintage Chinese goose pot. An Oriental, lacquer and gilt decorative trinket box, dating to the Art Deco period, circa 1940. Wonderfull...

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...

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 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 box for the matcha powder using while tea ceremony in Japan. It is called 'Natsume'. It is made with wood. The design is a boat and it is hand painted. The material is with...

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...

A fine lacquered and gold leaf Nagamochi dating from the late 18th century or early 19th century. The exterior of the trunk and its gilded metal fittings are decorated with a folia...

Vizagapatam box, India, 19th century. This highly decorative and unusual Anglo-Indian table box features rustic workmanship that adds to the character and charm of this unique Sout...

The REDA AMALOU DESIGN boxes echo Asian, and more specifically Vietnamese, culture, by which Reda Amalou has been inspired over time. The boxes that make up this line of accessories ...

Presenting an absolutely gorgeous and very rare 19C Anglo Indian Vizigapatam stamp box. Made in Colonial India (the Time of the Raj) circa 1860. Prob...

Large box from Vietnam. Manufactured at the end of the 19th century. Red in color slightly pinkish, with magnificent fish decorations in white and yellow colors. This box locks, the ...

Nineteenth century Chinese chinoiserie black lacquer tea caddy richly decorated in gold. The exterior shows delicate garden scenes with birds, flowers, and foliage painted with fine ...

A rustic Indian antique wooden treasure box from the 19th century, with iron braces, carved rosettes and petite feet. Created in India duri...

Antique Japanese Lacquer And Giltwood Zushi Shrine, or traveling altar, with hand-carved wooden standing Japanese figure. Intricately bronzed...

An exceptional antique Chinese gold and black lacquer games box raised on four paw feet with a domed lift off cover decorated with figural landscape panels in gilded lacquer colours on a black ground. The cover lifts off to reveal five lidded removable counter boxes...

Antique Asian Silver Betel Nut Box in Foo Lion Form, Southeast Asia, 19th–20th Century A finely crafted antique South Asian silver betel nut box, ...

Decorated with silver inlay and cloaked in an antique patina, this curious brass case is an early 20th century betel nut box, attributed to the Maranao people of the island of Mindan...

Celestial Tissue Box Black Large in Lacquer Wood Brass, Viya By Vikram Goyal Whether it’s the dense, intricate patterns of clouds on the walls of the Badal Mahal, Rajasthan or...

Antique A Chinese Carved Gilt Lacquered Box with a Peach Shape, depicting many peaches, leaves, and branches throughout.

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

Lovely Chinese export cloisonné box made of brass and enameled with a beautiful floral pattern resting on ball feet. This decorative box was most likely a cigarette box or trinket bo...

A MUGHAL INDIAN BRASS ENGRAVED BETEL PANDAN BOX Northern India. 18th Century. Length: 4 1/4" in. (10.9 cm.), width: 3 1/4" in., (8.3 cm.), height: 2" in.,...

Russian silver and lacquer boxes, signed / stamped, 19th century. Measures: H. 4 – 6, W 9 cm. H. 1.5 - 2.3, W 3.5 in.

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...

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

Chinese Mid-Century rectangular hinged chest with black metal latch and two side ring handles, lacquered and hand painted featuring three women and one girl in two outdoor courtyard ...

A Japanese ink stone box (known as Suzuribako) with exquisite maki-e decoration from Edo period (circa mid-18th century). The box features a rectang...

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...

The soft, matte texture and eroded wear of this petite porcelain box suggest the it spent many years submerged in saltwater, likely excavated from a sunken trade ship carrying cerami...

A Japanese Nagasaki export lacquer box with mother-of-pearl depiction of the Amsterdam ‘Trippenhuis’ Edo-period, circa 1830 H. 12.5 x W. 24...

Large Meiji Japanese Cloisonne Enamel Box with Fruits, Sea Life, Birds and Insects Coffee Table box An antique Japanese copper trinket box of hexago...

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...

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...

Handcrafted Khatam wooden box with very delicate micro mosaic marquetry from the ancient Persian technique of inlaying from arrangements of so many delicate pieces of wood, precious wood, and delicate miniatures paintings. This beautiful Middle Eastern Persian style box is covered inside and out with fine Moorish micro mosaic marquetry. Indo Persian Moorish style micro mosaic inlaid jewelry box with lid. Intricate inlaid Asian Indian box with floral and geometric Islamic Moorish Sadeli design in a square shape form with inlay 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...

The "Melting Box" by R&Y Augousti is a masterful creation, combining luxurious materials and elegant design into a functional work of art. The top of the box is meticulously crafted ...

An early 20th century carved hardwood storage chest from Afghanistan, retains its original iron fittings and hardware. The rectangular form is defined by a deeply patinated surface a...

This rectangular decorative box is crafted from wood and finished in a rich gold gilt, creating a refined yet understated accent piece. The lid features a smooth, gently arched profi...

A narrow wooden box with a sliding lid and a pair of carved bone chopstick handles with contrasting dark inlay at the ends. The bone handles were likely originally affixed to chopsti...

Antique Chinese brass decorative box with Jade Medallion. This stunning Chinese export brass box features a beautiful etched bat design with a central c...

This is an antique Japanese bento box from Edo era which was used for cherry blossom viewing party. It is made with bamboo and painted with ...

A Japanese lacquered wood fubako (a box to store document or small scroll painting) circa late 18th century of Edo period. The rectangular box features a deep lid with rounded corners and recessed mid-edge and a lower box with two bronze medallion rings and tasseled silk ties. The surface of the fubako was elaborately decorated with hiramaki-e and a low takamaki-e on a mottled Mura-nashiji background. The motifs on the lid depict branches of Japanese pine with finely rendered needles on the lower part; on the upper part, it showcases fruited persimmon branches. Two different shades of gold fundame were used to contrast the design and augmented by scattered gold kirigane to highlight some of the leaves. The design continues and cascades down to all sides of the lid as well as the walls of the box. The two bronze medallions appear original to the box and the silk ties show significant fading from the age. This Fine fubako is signed on the lower wall "Kanshosai" in Kanji with a kao mark. All the trims were finished in gold fundame and the interiors a dense nashiji in gold. Kanshosai is the mark of the distinguished lacquer artist Lizuka Toyo I who also signed his work "Toyosai". He was active in the second half of the 18th century during Edo period, employed by Hachisuka Shigeyoshi (1738-1801), daimyo of Awa on Shikoku Island. Although most survived work bearing his marks are inros, he was also known to decorated trays and other larger objects...

This box is a japanese box, early 20th century, in a red laquer, representing a bird and a flower. This has been made in Japan.

A cobalt blue and cream cotton zebra design jewelry trinket box, circa late-20th century. Box is a soft cotton with a zebra design, cushion top, rounded corners and coordinating coba...

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 ...

Collection of 19th century Kashmiri items A highly decorative collection of 19th Century hand crafted Kashmiri objects including 6 different shaped boxes, a working lamp and urn....

This Shiwan ceramic pillow of earthenware features a green glaze. Pillows in this shape were not only used by opium smokers but most typically were used fo...