{"id":279613,"date":"2026-05-24T17:34:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amaruantiques.com\/?post_type=product&p=279613"},"modified":"2026-06-03T09:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T07:46:09","slug":"antique-painted-trunk-in-pine-wood-china-circa-1930-am34104","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/amaruantiques.stg.uzero.cat\/en\/antique-furniture\/antique-painted-trunk-in-pine-wood-china-circa-1930-am34104\/","title":{"rendered":"Antique painted trunk in pine wood \u2013 China, circa 1930"},"content":{"rendered":"

This antique painted trunk in pine wood<\/strong> features a painted composition<\/em> on the front with peonies, butterflies and birds<\/em> over an ochre yellow ground, and vermilion red sides. It originates from northwestern China, from the late Qing dynasty, where pine was worked using mortise-and-tenon joinery.<\/p>\n

In traditional Chinese furniture, painted trunks were trousseau pieces \u2014 part of the bridal dowry \u2014 and stored textiles, festival clothes and personal items inside. The yellow palette with auspicious motifs was common in northwestern China and along the frontier with Inner Mongolia. The top opens on upper hinges and gives vertical access to the interior.<\/p>\n

The body is built in solid pine. The structure is a closed rectangular volume with a hinged top, assembled by mortise-and-tenon over an internal frame. The front hinge is hand-forged iron. The sides are painted in a uniform vermilion red, and the front carries a central panel in ochre yellow with the pictorial decoration framed by a dark blue-green border.<\/p>\n

The painted front panel shows a complex composition: pink and red peonies (mudan \u7261\u4e39)<\/em> arranged on stems, accompanied by butterflies (die \u8776)<\/em> and small birds<\/em>. The peony symbolises wealth and honour; the butterfly, longevity (through homophony with \u800b, octogenarian) and, alongside flowers, marital joy; the birds add the motif of domestic harmony. The palette combines ochre yellow ground, pinks, reds, greens and blues in the motifs, with black strokes for outlining.<\/p>\n

The patina preserves the original pigments with soft softening. On the edges and corners the vermilion red has worn away and lets the pine show through. The yellow of the central panel keeps its saturation. The characters and motifs remain legible. The whole has been kept in continuous use as a ritual and decorative piece.<\/p>\n

Given its contained size \u2014 79 \u00d7 55 \u00d7 60 cm \u2014 this trunk works as a bedside table, an auxiliary side table, a low bench at the foot of a bed or a central decorative piece in an entrance. It brings a strong chromatic accent into light or sober interiors. It fits wabi-sabi, contemporary rustic, japandi and Asian-inspired projects.<\/p>\n

Details<\/strong><\/p>\n