Large and heavy Chinese late Qing dynasty scholar's hardwood box (guanpixiang) suitable for holding documents, seals, ink sticks, and other desktop items. This form of furniture was originally constructed as a jewelry box for ladies, but was also used later as a scholar's box. A removable panel on the front lifts to reveal two narrow document trays at the top, five drawers in the mid-section, and one narrow document tray at the bottom. The top tray is disguised as a decorative element with no knob. It opens by reaching into the tray below it and pulling it forward from the bottom. The sturdy side carrying handles are brass with a nice patina. 19th century. 13 3/4" long, 10 1/4" high, and 8 1/4" deep. It weighs about 12 lbs. The chest is in very good overall condition with typical flaws from age and use. The removable front panel is not very sturdy and there are old fills to separations evident around the slightly loose center section. The corners appear to have once held brass mounts. One knob is missing from the second document drawer. There are some small old restorations to a few of the drawers (see enlargements). Additional close up images are available upon request.