Accession Number
2009/2.26A-C

Title
Chest (in three pieces)

Artist(s)
Korean

Artist Nationality
Korean (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
Late 19th–early 20th century

Medium & Support
wood and iron fittings

Dimensions
4 ft. 5 7/8 in. x 35 9/16 in. x 16 3/16 in. (136.8 x 90.2 x 41 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund

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]

Primary Object Classification
Furniture and Furniture Accessories

Primary Object Type
chest

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Korean (culture or style)
furniture
inlays (decorations)
iron (metal)
wood (plant material)