Inlay Boxes

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...

Galle district, 18th century The box is made of amboyna burr with inlays of ebony, bone and burr wood and has several interior compartments, all made with the utmost attention to de...

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

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...

Anglo-Indian inlaid box with elephant motif (circa 1920s). Dimensions: 14"H x 19.5"W x 13"D.

Nice wooden and mother-of-pearl box from the 1900s. The mother-of-pearl inlays form plant motifs (flowers and foliage), incised to give volume to the different parts. It closes with ...

A Tunbridge Ware Games Box with Inlaid Marquetry Image of Eridge Castle, c1870 Additional Information: Heading: Tunbridge Ware - A Games Box with Inlaid Marquetry Image of Eridge Ca...

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

Free Worldwide Shipping Heavily Inlaid with Mother of Pearl, Abalone and Brass From our Writing Box collection, we are pleased to offer this fantastic Coromandel Inlaid Writing Box...

Outstanding quality antique Victorian rosewood and burr maple tea caddy, having a quality antique Victorian tea caddy of sarcophagus form with beautiful swirling floral motifs along ...

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...

A rare and exquisitely crafted British Empire travel jewelry box, made in England circa 1840. The exterior is richly veneered in burled yew wood and amboyna, prized for their deep fi...

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...

This box is a jewelry box or a decorative box. It was made in the 1970s, in France. Its lid is made of a checkerboard rectangle in wood. It is brown in color.

A fine antique Georgian style mahogany tea caddy. Of bombé form with fruit wood inlay, gilt brass mounts & handle, and bracket feet. Simply a wonderful, rare form! Date: L...

A vintage 1970s Maitland Smith crackled lacquer box with a burled walnut inlay and brass fittings. Box is a dark brown and retains its original label. The interior is lined with blac...

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...

Firmly Attributed to Hausburg From our Writing Box collection, we are pleased to offer this Antique Victorian Writing Box attributed to ...

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...

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

A fine quality Regency Era / Georgian Period tea caddy set in sumptuous plum-pudding mahogany. Exquisitely hand-crafted in England at the turn of the late 18th / early 19th century,...

A very beautiful, fine quality, inlaid Tea Caddy from the English Georgian, Sheraton Period, Circa 1780. The Tea Caddy is all handmade with very fine quality features; * Beautifully...

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...

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...

A finely crafted antique wood marquetry box with hinged lid and green fabric interior. This box has a refined geometric design featuring bot...

19th century victorian burr walnut desk top writing slope circa 1870. Fine quality english made victorian writing slope.  Exterior of rich burr walnut with tunbridge ware inlay deco...

A charming vintage jewelry box, or trinket box, with colorful marquetry inlay, lined with red velvet, including a working key. Presumably Moroccan, second half of the 20th century. ...

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...

Art Deco inspired Box with Shagreen and black Ebony detailing. A very special little box from the Boucher & Co Collection, inspired by intricate beaded work created last century by the House of Dior, handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail in the Toowoomba, Australia workrooms. Created from rich, beautifully figured Macassar Ebony sides, black Shagreen lid inlaid with red Shagreen and very fine, solid black ebony lines to create a bow tie design and edged with solid black Ebony moulding. Nickel silver feet and tab are custom made. The interior is fitted with a fine Italian red leather and timberwork protected with a durable clear satin lacquer. Signed and engraved with the registered number. Box size 12.5 x 18.5 x 4 cm Box size including metal feet 13 x 19 x 4.8 cm "In 2008 we were privileged to enjoy an amazing Art Deco exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. The exhibition, organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, was truly a feast for the senses. Amongst the multitude of creations that inspired me was a beautiful little hand-beaded Dior evening clutch...

Signed by maker on lock. Paris, France. Bronze/brass mounted.

PRESENTING A BEAUTIFUL and RARE 19C Anglo Ceylonese Specimen Wood Trinket Box. Made in ‘Galle’, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) circa 1860-80. Made for the ex...

French wood box decorated with marquetry including a stars and geometrical patterns. Straw marquetry was a common technique in the early 20th century. Straw was dyed different colors...

Antique 19th Century Mother Of Pearl Inlaid Games Box, the lid inlaid with ornate flower decoration to the edges and a set of aces to the middle. The lid opens to reveal a red interi...

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...

Large, high-quality late Biedermeier casket box in walnut with precious wood inlay and inlaid lid motif. Walnut veneered on maple and solid with numerous inlays in precious woods, m...

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

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...

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 ...

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

American Modernist Geometric Inlaid Two-Tone Wood Lidded Bucket /Vessel, 1950s Presenting a tour de force of unknown American modern design, this inlaid two-tone wood lidded bucke...

From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this Georgian Oval Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of elongated Oval form veneered in Harewood with 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 skilled artisans, ultimately making each piece unique, designed in Paris and produced in the Philippines. The Wave jewelry...

This incredible item is a delicate decoration in the form of a miniature piano, The piano is constructed with beautiful hand selected walnut decorated ...

A beautifully made hand carved rosewood and fruit wood box with heart shaped bone escutcheon.The whimsical interior lined with paper carpet pattern from...

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...

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...

A beautiful modern style or Postmodern period marble and brass box with Jewish Star of David design, circa late-20th century, 1980s, 90s. Box, att...

A '70 modern red lacquer or high-gloss 'demi-lune' box with inlayed brass swan bird design, circa 1970s. A chic decorative box for jewelry (as demonstrated)...

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 ...

A rare French marqueterie de paille (colored straw marquetry) sewing work box. Delicately hand-crafted in Provincial Burgundy, France, late 18th / ...

Lines of shagreen cover elegant tissue box, allowing subtle differences in the natural tone and texture of each panel.

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

Elegant and finely crafted rosewood and ivory inlay traveller's writing desk from the late Mughal period of British India (circa 1825), on low bun feet. In excellent condition, with ...

A Moroccan Decorative Lidded Box, 20th Century Provenance: Private Australian Collection. Dimensions: Height: 27cm. Width: 31cm. Depth: 18cm.

19th Century Japanese Meiji Period Parquetry Table Top Kodansu Cabinet With An Arrangement of Seven Drawers & Metal Handles & Finishings