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San Francisco Music Box Co. Sorrento Inlaid Music Box — Floral Marquetry, Sankyo Movement

$48.00 Only one available

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Retro (1970s–1990s) Wood Very Good
HDRB-VR-0005
A Sorrento-ware music box, hand-crafted in Italy in the tradition the town is known for. The lid wears a floral marquetry spray worked entirely in inlaid wood, no paint, set against glossy cream lacquer and framed by a rosewood-tone band with a black lacquer edge. Inside, pink flocked velvet and a lift-out tray. Wind the Sankyo movement and it plays a brisk little rendition of "Unforgettable" that goes its own way with the tempo and the ending, but the real pleasure here is the box itself. Details
  • Origin: Hand-crafted in Sorrento, Italy; created by Donato & Maresca, distributed by The San Francisco Music Box & Gift Co.
  • Movement: Sankyo 18-note wind-up (marked SANKYO JAPAN); plays and winds
  • Lid: Floral marquetry inlay on cream lacquer, rosewood-tone frame, black lacquer edge
  • Interior: Pink flocked velvet with lift-out two-compartment tray
  • Hardware: Full-length brass piano hinge, four brass ball feet
  • Size: 6.5 in wide x 4.25 in deep x 2.75 in tall
  • Era: Circa 1980s–1990s
Condition: Very good vintage. Structurally excellent, the movement plays and winds, the hinge is bright, the lining clean, and the marquetry glossy and intact with no visible losses. Natural mottling in the lacquer and a little tarnish on the brass feet tell you it has some years on it, and it has come through them beautifully.
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San Francisco Music Box Co. Sorrento Inlaid Music Box — Floral Marquetry, Sankyo Movement

Circa 1980s–1990s

Sorrento Inlaid Music Box

Sorrento, on Italy's Amalfi coast, has been a center of intarsia — inlaid woodwork — for well over a century. Local workshops fit thin pieces of contrasting wood together to build a picture with no paint at all, and that tradition is exactly what this box carries forward. The base is stamped by its makers, Donato & Maresca, and by The San Francisco Music Box & Gift Co., the company that commissioned genuine Italian boxes like this one and brought them to American dressers through the 1980s and 1990s.

Beneath the marquetry lid sits a Sankyo 18-note wind-up movement that still plays a lively rendition of "Unforgettable." This particular box came to us from an estate in Woodbridge, Virginia, where a pink flocked velvet tray kept rings and small keepsakes close at hand. It is a well-made piece of catalog-era romance — honest Italian craft, distributed with a bit of California sentiment, and built to keep working for decades.

Materials Inlaid wood (intarsia) marquetry on cream lacquer, rosewood-tone band, black lacquer edge; pink flocked velvet interior; brass piano hinge and ball feet; Sankyo wind-up movement.
Care Dust with a soft dry cloth. Keep out of direct sun and damp to protect the lacquer and inlay. Wind gently and let the movement play down fully.
From the Research Archives
vintagerose.us Catalog No. HDRB-VR-0005 • July 2026

Specifications

Dimensions
10 × 8 × 6 in
Weight
2 lbs
SKU
HDRB-VR-0005
Sorrento has been turning out inlaid woodwork for well over a century, and this little music box carries the trade forward in fine form. The craft is called intarsia: thin pieces of contrasting wood cut and fitted to build a picture, no paint anywhere. Here that picture is a floral spray across the lid, set into glossy cream lacquer and framed by a warm rosewood-tone band with a crisp black lacquer edge. Lift it and you find pink flocked velvet and a lift-out tray divided into two compartments, the kind of interior meant for rings and small keepsakes. The base tells you exactly who made it: hand-crafted in Sorrento, Italy, created by Donato & Maresca, and brought stateside by The San Francisco Music Box & Gift Co., the name that put boxes like this on so many American dressers through the 1980s and 1990s. This one came to us from an estate in Woodbridge, Virginia. A full-length brass piano hinge runs the back and four brass ball feet lift it just off the surface, the sort of honest hardware that keeps a box like this working for decades. And it does work. The Sankyo 18-note movement, marked SANKYO JAPAN, winds and plays. The 18 note movement in this box gives you the last verse of "Unforgettable," a little brisk through the tempo and adding a little flourish at the end. It has its own peppy upbeat personality, and that's part of the fun. Press play — hear the tune for yourself.       Details
  • Origin: Hand-crafted in Sorrento, Italy; created by Donato & Maresca; distributed by The San Francisco Music Box & Gift Co.
  • Movement: Sankyo 18-note wind-up, marked SANKYO JAPAN; plays and winds
  • Lid: Floral marquetry (inlaid wood, no paint) on cream/ivory lacquer, rosewood-tone frame, black lacquer edge
  • Interior: Pink flocked velvet lining with a lift-out two-compartment tray
  • Hardware: Full-length brass piano hinge; four brass ball feet
  • Size: 6.5 in wide x 4.25 in deep x 2.75 in tall
  • Era: Circa 1980s–1990s
  • Provenance: From an estate in Woodbridge, Virginia
Condition: Very good vintage condition. Structurally excellent. The movement plays and winds, the brass hinge is bright, the pink lining is clean, and the marquetry inlay is glossy and intact with no visible losses. There is natural mottling in the lacquer and light tarnish on the brass feet, both consistent with age. A well-kept box that has earned its character and still does exactly what it was built to do.

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