A LARGE AND FINELY CARVED IMPERIAL 'NINE DRAGON' CAMPHOR WOOD CLOTHES CHEST

QING DYANSTY, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A LARGE AND FINELY CARVED IMPERIAL 'NINE DRAGON' CAMPHOR WOOD CLOTHES CHEST
QING DYANSTY, 18TH CENTURY
The large box of rectangular form, superbly carved in high relief to the top with a large central full-face dragon above a 'flaming pearl', flanked by two further dragons shown in profile, within a dense arrangement of overlapping swirling clouds, the design repeated around the sides of the box with single dragons on the short sides and pairs of dragons on the front and back sides, all enclosed within keyfret borders, mounted with finely cast original gilt-metal handles, hinges and lockplate
35 1/2 x 25 1/4 x 22 7/8 in. (90 x 64 x 58) cm.

Lot Essay

The use of camphor wood as a material for this very finely carved chest indicates that it would certainly have been used to store clothes from the Imperial wardrobe. Camphor wood, like sandalwood is very fragrant but additionally is known to repell cloth eating insects and this made it an ideal choice for a box designed for the storage of clothes. A slightly larger rectangular zitan 'Nine Dragon' chest carved with a very similar design in the Palace Museum Collection, Beijing, is illsutrated in Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2002, p. 278, no. 235.

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