Clothes Chest
1880-1900 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This chest made from zelkova wood has a hinged front-opening panel decorated with brass hinges, a lock and strenthening plates. (Zelkova is grown in Korea, and is a hardwood known for its dramatic grain patterns.) The two brass handles are bat-shaped, while the central brass hinge plate is gourd-shaped. This type of furniture, with its plain, restrained design, was thought to be appropriate for a man's room, while more colourful, lacquered chests were used in a woman's quarters. Furniture from this period is frequently decorated with bats (pok), often in the form of metal handles or inlaid in lacquer, as they are regarded as being auspicious since pok means both bat and blessings.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Zelkova wood, with brass fittings |
| Brief description | Zelkova wood chest with brass fittings including bat-shaped handles, Korean, Choson dynasty, 1880-1900.; Met, Korea, vess/cont/holders, brass |
| Physical description | Chest with hinged front-opening panel decorated with brass hinges, lock and strenthening plates. The two brass handles are bat-shaped. Colour: Brown |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Object history | Purchased from Mr. W. H. Emberley (4 Craigerne Road, Blackheath, SE), accessioned in 1905. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Summary | This chest made from zelkova wood has a hinged front-opening panel decorated with brass hinges, a lock and strenthening plates. (Zelkova is grown in Korea, and is a hardwood known for its dramatic grain patterns.) The two brass handles are bat-shaped, while the central brass hinge plate is gourd-shaped. This type of furniture, with its plain, restrained design, was thought to be appropriate for a man's room, while more colourful, lacquered chests were used in a woman's quarters. Furniture from this period is frequently decorated with bats (pok), often in the form of metal handles or inlaid in lacquer, as they are regarded as being auspicious since pok means both bat and blessings. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 863-1905 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 3, 2000 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
