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

Ancient Chinese chest painted in pine wood, provincial furniture painted in polychrome composition originating from Inner Mongolia and dated around 1900. It comes from Inner Mongolia, in northern China, from the late 19th century, where the local pine was worked using traditional mortise and tenon joinery without nails, featuring painted fronts in polychrome compositions. In northern Mongolian households, painted chests were central pieces of the marriage dowry and family treasure: they contained fabrics, clothing, and personal items, serving both a symbolic and decorative function. The density of pictorial decoration on their front corresponded to the social role of the furniture in the home, equivalent to that of large lacquered furniture in other regional traditions. 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 all the pictorial decoration; the sides and lid retain the tone of the pine with remnants of pigment. Details. Dimensions: Length 87 cm – Depth 54.5 cm – Height 55 cm. Style: Painted provincial furniture from Inner Mongolia. Materials and techniques: Solid pine, pigments on wood, wrought iron fittings; mortise and tenon joinery without nails, front painted with peacocks among peonies on a turquoise background. Place of origin: Inner Mongolia (China) Period: Late Qing dynasty (circa 1900) Date of manufacture: Circa 1900. Condition / Observations: Structure intact. Original paint with soft losses and cracking. Original fittings. Wear consistent with age and use.