Chinese Cloisonné Enamel Stacking Spice Box

A small stacking spice box of oval form, made in China in the early twentieth century. Three compartments stack one upon the other, secured by a brass locking handle that swings over the assembled tiers. Boxes of this type are sometimes described as trinket or tiffin boxes.

The body is worked in cloisonné enamel with floral decoration on gilt copper, the wire cells filled with colored enamel in the traditional manner. It stands about 3 inches (7.5 cm) to the top of the handle, with an oval footprint of roughly 2 x 1½ inches (5 x 3.8 cm).