Chinese Money Chest with Butterfly Mounts

A square chest with a sliding panel in its lid and a tiny carved bird on top.

This money chest with butterfly mounts is from Hebei Province, China, and dates to the mid 19th century. It is lacquered elm wood. As original period furniture became harder to find, restoration artists began salvaging fragments from incomplete pieces to make complete ones, and eventually full reproductions began to surface. Square, box-like chest with a stepped overhanging lid inset with a rectangular sliding panel marked by a small metal fitting. Sides are plain recessed panels on short block feet. Deep reddish-brown, scuffed at the edges. It is 21 inches long, 20.75 deep and 19.25 high.

A small secret, announced rather loudly by its lid.