Chests & Trunks

Chests, or trunks fulfil much the same storage function as cabinets in a Chinese household, and like cabinets, they come in a huge variety of sizes, some as big as a Queen size bed used primarily for  seasonal clothing and beddings,  others as small as a  card box held items from hair ornaments to documents.  According to the Chinese Ming dynasty dictionary, "All furniture with a bottom and lid that can be used for storage is called a chest"

 

Most popular chests  are  leather trunks.  Trunks can be made out of wood with a painted exterior or out of leather - pigskin, actually stretched over a thin wooden frame.  Some finished with a clear coat of lacquer, which protects the leather and enhances the patina.   Another example is the Chinese medicine chest which with  many drawers used for herbs and prepared Chinese medicines.