Those who believed that boxes were just a necessary evil when it came to carting crockery to a new location or an unwanted barrier that increased the time taken to get to a gift, hopefully found the recent Gold Boxes in Asia auction something of an education. Hosted by Christie’s Hong Kong, it was the first time the house had staged a sale solely dedicated to such remarkable receptacles.

Top of the bill was a bejewelled, enamelled automatic snuff music box. Dating back to the 19th century and created by Guidon, Gide & Blondet, one of the most celebrated of Swiss goldsmiths, it ultimately sold for HK$2.25 million. It was, however, just one of 75 lots on offer, all of which consisted of jewelled gold boxes of exceptional provenance, with most of themmade by the finest craftsmen of 18th / 19th century Europe.

Commenting on the success of the event, David McLachlan, Head of Christie’s Gold Boxes Department, said: “We previously only sold gold boxes through our Geneva office, but we’ve now extended this service to Hong Kong and Shanghai. This is largely because such items are now widely in demand across Asia.”