During the Choson period (1392-1910) boxes such as this one were used by wealthy gentlemen to store tobacco. As is common on such boxes, this example is decorated with a variety of auspicious patterns, in this case the Chinese characters for happiness and peacefulness. On top of the lid is a circlet with the stylised Chinese character 'su', meaning longevity. At this time, the use of bronze was restricted resulting in the subsequent populairty of iron wares, densely inlaid with silver and sometimes gold wire.