This antique polychrome trunk in pine wood features a front over a turquoise green ground with compositions of peonies, chrysanthemums and butterflies distributed across a single decorative field framed by a geometric border. It originates from northern China, from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, where pine was worked using dovetail joinery and decorated with hand-applied paint over a coloured ground.
In traditional Chinese furniture, medium-sized painted trunks belonged to the domestic trousseau and, in many cases, to the bridal dowry. They were reserved for textiles, festival clothes and personal items. Deep turquoise green, less common than vermilion red, was a frequent choice in popular furniture of northern and western China — a colour associated with spring, vegetation and renewal.
The body is built in solid pine, joined by visible dovetail corners. The top is a loose lid that lifts off to give access to the interior — a common solution in Chinese utilitarian trunks for domestic storage. The sides keep their original recessed handles for transport. The structure is fully solid and the hardware is functional.
The decoration covers the entire front over the turquoise green ground. The central field holds several floral groups: large peonies (mudan 牡丹) in orange and pink, symbols of wealth and honour; chrysanthemums (juhua 菊花) in clusters, one of the Four Gentlemen, linked to longevity and contemplative retreat; and butterflies (die 蝶) in flight, symbols of longevity by homophony with 耋 (octogenarian) and, alongside flowers, of marital joy. A geometric border runs along the four sides with parallel vermilion lines and angular zigzag motifs at each corner — a simplified version of the huiwen (回紋) meander, a symbol of unbroken continuity. The palette combines turquoise green ground, orange, pink, yellow and vermilion red.
The paintwork presents the fine wear characteristic of natural aging over more than a century. In contact areas — lower corners, top edge, sides — the pigment has worn away and reveals the bare pine in warm tones. A vertical band at the centre of the front shows more pronounced oxidation, an honest mark of its biography. The pigments of the motifs keep their saturation and remain fully legible. The vermilion red sides remain alive. The patina is honest, with no invasive restoration.
With its contained proportions — 77 × 54 × 55 cm — this trunk works as a side table, low coffee table, bench at the foot of a bed or central decorative piece in an entrance. The deep turquoise green makes it a serene and singular chromatic accent in light or sober interiors. It fits wabi-sabi, contemporary rustic, japandi and Asian-inspired projects.
Details
- Dimensions: Length 77 cm – Width 54 cm – Height 55 cm
- Style: Late Qing Dynasty / Early Republic
- Materials and techniques: Solid pine; original side handles; dovetail joinery; loose top lid; original paintwork over turquoise green ground with floral polychromy and geometric border.
- Place of origin: Northern China
- Period: Late 19th century – early 20th century
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1900
- Condition: Very good. Original patina and paintwork very well aged, with no invasive restoration. Fully solid structure and functional hardware. Wear consistent with age and use.
This piece is part of the curated collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
