Antique Chinese Puzzle Box

Description

Baby Boomers may remember Japanese puzzle boxes from the 1950's that provided hours of entertainment. The Chinese woodworkers were not … more Baby Boomers may remember Japanese puzzle boxes from the 1950's that provided hours of entertainment. The Chinese woodworkers were not known for making puzzle boxes, and I was so delighted when I found this box in the Antique Furniture Market in the City of Zhongshan, near Macau in the 1990's. It is a squarish box in brown lacquer. The front panel is decorated with a carving of a three legged tripod bronze vessel called a Ding. What is unusual about the front panel is the little drawers. These drawers cannot be opened unless it is done in a certain order. There is no point of describing the order because that would take the fun out, wouldn't it? The best way to handle is to take all the drawers out, and try your luck in putting them back.

The box is finished in dark lacquer, and the front panel in red and gold. The provenance is most probably Fujian Province in Southeast China, and the dating is late 19th Century. less