Alabaster (white onyx) ball box – Italy, circa 1960

Subtly translucent, this small box with a spiral-turned lid is carved from a block of alabaster – sometimes called “onyx marble”. It features light cream clouds and veins characteristic of alabastron stone, quarried in Tuscany and highly prized in the 1950s and 1960s for table decoration and boudoirs. Material. Satin-polished white alabaster/onyx. Dimensions. Ø 11 cm • h 9 cm (including knob) Weight. Approx. 750 g. Condition. Very good: no chips, some discreet micro-pitting due to age. Lid fits perfectly.