Antique Chinese chest with painted panel in elm – China, circa 1900

This ancient Chinese chest with a painted panel in elm is a dowry chest with a sliding lid and a painted panel framed by a Greek key design. It originates from northern China, from the Qing dynasty, where the elm was joined with dovetails and lacquered in ochre. The front is treated like a painting: a rectangular painted field, a Greek key frame, and a smooth outer surface. This hierarchy places the piece within the tradition of the wedding chest from northern China, where the painted face was the one displayed on the wedding day. The case is made of solid elm, with visible dovetail joints at the corners and a single-piece front panel. The lid, in two parts, slides on the upper edge. The wear on the base and edges corresponds to prolonged use. The panel features a bouquet of pink and garnet peonies (mudan 牡丹), with a blue peony and a butterfly (die 蝶) in the upper left corner. The peony is the queen flower, emblematic of wealth and honour. The painting is in thick impasto, almost in the manner of oil, on an ivory background. The frame is a Greek key meander huiwen (回紋) in orange and ochre, symbolising uninterrupted continuity. In the lower right corner of the panel runs an ink inscription bearing the date 一九七六年八月二十五日 — 25 August 1976 — accompanied by a cursive signature and a red seal. It documents the date on which the front decoration was executed or renewed, a common practice when an ancient chest was prepared for a wedding. The case, due to its construction and wear, predates this. Details Dimensions: Length 87 cm – Depth 58 cm – Height 61 cm Style: Painted Chinese Materials and techniques: Elm wood; dovetail construction; ochre lacquer; hand-painted decoration. Place of origin: China Period: Qing dynasty Date of manufacture: Circa 1900 Condition / Observations: Good. Front panel signed and dated 1976 on an earlier case; worn ochre lacquer on the base. Wear consistent with age and use.