Chest (in three pieces)

Physical Description:

A chest in three pieces, all stacked on top of on another. The two chest pieces feature small center doors with decorative iron fittings around the handles and the hinges. Highly decorative iron fittings are added at intervals around the edges of the chest.

Stacked chest (nong ) resembles chest (jang ) in form. However, there is a difference that each tier of stacked chest (nong ) is detachable, while the tiers of chest (jang ) are inseparable. The panels used for the front are made of zelkova wood, and veneer was attached to the back of the panels to prevent twisting or bending. It is, however, difficult to discern what type of wood was veneered, as Korean paper (hanji ) is pasted over it. Nevertheless, considering that this chest was produced in the areas of Tongyeong-si, it is assumed that the veneer was probably made of paulownia wood. The top, side panels and bottom panel are all joined by finger joints, while the back panel is attached by butt joints. This type of chest, produced in Tongyeong, belongs to a style dating around the 1880s.

[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2017) p. 270]

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