Antique Chinese trunk in solid pine, with very characterizing original paint and patina, originally from China and dated toward 1900. A functional medium-scale storage piece, sitting between a robust domestic transport trunk and a decorative chest of assured presence, representative of Chinese provincial furniture of stable medial scale from the nineteenth-twentieth century transition.
In bedrooms and storage spaces of Chinese homes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, medium trunks with original paint-patina served practical functions of assured presence: they stored clothing, textiles and belongings with important visual presence, functioned as comfortable and stable seating benches, created points of visual interest through their aged patinas. The medial height — 55 cm — allowed versatile use as seating. The width of 74 cm provided robust capacity. The depth of 51 cm contributes very assured stability. Examples with original characterizing paint-patina are highly sought.
It is constructed in solid pine with wide boards of traditional joinery without nails. The hinged front lid opens on original forged-iron hinges, retaining the pin-lock. The simple feet are proportioned. The sides retain original handles or grips. The interior structure is visible and very honest.
Against an ochre-mustard ground, the front of the trunk unfolds a decorative programme framed by a double key-fret border in deep green outlined in red, which runs along the main contour and also frames a small upper reserve with tiny mountain landscape vignettes. The central panel, generously developed, is hand-painted with a garden of peonies and chrysanthemums in pink, cream and white tones, with sinuous stems and olive-green foliage executed in a loose brushstroke. Among the flowers one can make out butterflies, perched and fluttering — a traditional Chinese symbol of joy and, when combined with the peony, of longevity in prosperity. The lateral sides of the front frame are completed with motifs of stylised bamboo, another classic emblem of the literati repertoire, associated with integrity and resilience. The lid keeps traces of a red cinnabar lacquer, now worn by use, which provides a chromatic contrast with the ochre body. The painting is in mineral pigment over previously prepared wood, with a careful stroke and a balanced palette that reveals an experienced painter’s hand, within the decorative tradition of northern China or the Tibetan plateau.
Through its characterizing paint, medial height and stable scale, it sits naturally in interiors celebrating history — contemporary rustic, eclectic with regional sensibility, thematic galleries — where it functions as a protagonist decorative trunk, seating bench with presence, piece that brings visual narrative, or element that generates interesting compositions. Its original paint-patina is its greatest value.
Details
- Dimensions: Length 74 cm – Width 51 cm – Height 55 cm
- Style: Chinese utilitarian furniture, medium trunk original paint-patina
- Materials and techniques: Solid pine; hinged front lid with forged-iron hinges; original pin-lock; highly aged paint; metal-band reinforcements; original handles
- Place of origin: China
- Period: Late nineteenth – early twentieth century
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1900
- Condition / Notes: Very good. Original deeply aged paint-patina without invasive restorations, completely solid structure, medial assured presence, solid functional hardware
This piece is part of the collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
