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Posted 7 years ago
duchess477
(4 items)
Hi, i have this and was wondering where it’s from and about how old? It has heavy brass ? Castings and some hand painted elephants on side. Also some very intricate drawings all over it.
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'What's in an elephant's trunk?
elephant toys for elephant boys.
elephant curls for elephant girls.
That's what's in an elephant's trunk'
a song we had on an old 45 when i was a kid.
The elephants and the ornate design, to me, suggests Asia (India). I can't be certain without examination, but the trunk appears to be brass-fitted camphor wood. If it is, the chest could be from around the 18th or 19th century. They were pretty common and they were used to transport silks, teas, and porcelain from the Asian continent to England and sometimes to the U.S.
The camphor wood was used because it's a natural deterrent to moths and wood-boring insects. The camphor tree is native to Japan and China.
No disrespect, but I'am not sure how you could tell what kind of wood it's made from being that it's painted, like you said, without a hand's on inspection, hard to tell, but this trunk does not look that old to me. There's a lot of these trunk's , that are made in India, or some where in Asia and imported into the U.S. and sold in home decor stores such as Pier one imports or World market, would like to see the inside, greendog
No disrespect taken. I just posted the interior of the trunk and a better view of the lock . This is not a Pier One or Wold Market Trunk. Unless they started to use heavy cast brass strappings and bandings around the box. The wood is heavy as is the trunk. Thanks for looking and taking the time to comment . I definitely appreciate all the help I can get.
Hey duchess 477, not trying to be the bad guy here believe me, the interior pictures don't show me much, other than it's dark, sorry. I'am puzzled by the picture of the lock, the keyhole appears to go nowhere, I can see orange paint through the keyhole, it doesn't appear to have an internal locking mechanism that is locked or opened with a key, it looks purely decorative to me, unless I'am missing something not in the picture, it's a cool piece, but I just don't think it's old, hope I'am wrong, good luck, greendog.
Lovely well made trunk. Over time we see many trunks and begin to recognize clues as to an age of a piece. Not an exact science by any stretch but it’s helpful I hope to point out wether a piece has aged or not. The brass and hardware on this is gorgeous but as Greendog pointed out the lock if it is antique would be functioning or originally made to function. There would be some wear on the lock particularly where you would insert key, and usually with a heavy lid like that wear on parts that touch upon opening and closing over time. The brass handles that protrude would show signs of being ‘banged around’ over time. Colours on the lid would be slightly faded and slight wear from being opened and closed for many years. This interior has what appears to be a modern stain... older trunks were generally not stained in interior... granted it could have been done at a later date. These are just a few things we take note of when attempting to discern an age of a piece, along with nails and hinges and general construction. Hope this helps a bit.. it’s a beautiful piece regardless of age.