Chinese Trunk or Storage Box

Shallow flat chest in pale, scarred wood with a hint of red at the edges.

This trunk or storage box is from Shandong Province, China, and dates to the early 19th century. It is elm wood & bamboo. Tibetans were traditionally semi-nomadic and owned few personal furnishings, so most Tibetan furniture stood in monasteries, and some of it was carted over the Himalayas to India as monasteries were destroyed. Notable is a long low box with a flat lid divided into three panels and a small latch at the front. The surface is dry and worn, pale tan with scattered stains and traces of red paint at the edges. It is 44.5 inches long, 16 deep and 12.25 high.

Plain, flat, and quietly practical about its job.