Antique Chinese chest painted in pine wood – China, circa 1900

Antique Chinese chest painted in pine wood, provincial furniture with floral compositions originating from Dongbei, dated around 1900. It comes from Dongbei, in northeastern China (formerly Manchuria), from the early 20th century, where local pine was crafted using traditional mortise and tenon joinery without nails, featuring fronts painted with polychrome floral compositions. In rural homes of the northeast, chests were central pieces of domestic trousseau: they housed clothing, bedding, fabrics, and personal items. In modest households, the painted chest also served as the main decorative piece: adorned with floral compositions on colourful backgrounds, it fulfilled a symbolic and aesthetic function within the family room. Constructed from solid pine using traditional mortise and tenon joinery, without nails. Rectangular case with a drop lid and wrought iron front fittings allowing for padlock closure. The front concentrates the pictorial decoration; the sides and lid retain the warm tone of unpainted pine, characteristic of chests from the northeast where only the front was exposed. Details. Dimensions: Length 75 cm – Depth 55 cm – Height 50 cm. Style: Painted Chinese provincial furniture from the northeast, Dongbei school. Materials and techniques: Solid pine, wood pigments; mortise and tenon joinery without nails, front painted with floral composition, huiwen border, wrought iron front fittings. Place of origin: Dongbei (northeast China) Period: Qing Dynasty – Early Republic of China (circa 1900) Date of manufacture: Circa 1930. Condition / Observations: Structure intact. Original paint with minor losses and cracking. Original fittings. Wear consistent with age and use.