Chinese Heavily Carved Camphor Dowry Chest or Coffee Table

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Chinese Heavily Carved Camphor Dowry Chest or Coffee Table

About the Item

Presenting a beautiful Mid-20C Chinese heavily carved camphor dowry chest or coffee table. Made in Hong Kong circa 1945-50 by the You On & Co. furniture makers of Hong Kong. This was a custom made chest and made to order. The carving on the chest is simply scrumcious ! It is heavily carved on all sides with various Chinese battle scenes but the main scene is on the top of the lid. The detail is outstanding … right down to the brass butterflies holding the glass top in place. You will see many ‘similar’ chests to this but none this good ! In superb condition with only normal wear through age. When you open the chest the smell of the camphor is still strong and aromatic. The wooden furniture industry in Hong Kong can be traced back to the late 19th century with You On Company (??), which was founded in Hong Kong in 1897 by the Wan family. One of the family members, Wan King-shan (???) was the founding supervisor of HKFCMA and according to Matthew Turner (author of “Made in Hong Kong” and historian of HK industrial design), another family member Wan Sze-yau was a pioneer in adapting Chinese furniture to American taste in order to facilitate exports to the United States and “ideas for new pieces seem to have come directly from American servicemen, who would suggest them to Wan himself”. In suiting the taste of foreigners, the Wan family developed remarkably eclectic products, such as the “altar cocktail bar”,”traditional Chinese telephone table” and the “praying scholar among Chinese clouds with electric light bulb on its head.” You On had stores at 72 Canton Road in Kowloon and Queen’s Road on Hong Kong island and a factory in the New Territories and before the War it was the largest wooden furniture maker in Southern China with over 500 workers.

Dimensions:
Height: 25 in (63.5 cm)Width: 44 in (111.76 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)
Style:
Chinese Export (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Brass,Glass,Wood,Hand-Carved
Place of Origin:
Hong Kong
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1945-50
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Very Good original condition.
Seller Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU3978126453752