Peddler’s Chest

A portable trade chest possibly used by an itinerant barber, medicine seller or small merchant on their travels. A removable inner box, holding the working tools, sits at the top while five lockable drawers below hold stock. Holes in the base on both sides took a cord or rope, allowing the chest to be slung on the back or attached to a shoot of bamboo. The broad bands of wear on the rear face mark where it rested against the carrier’s body.The cloud-like lock plates and square handles are typical of small commercial chests of the period. The lacquer has worn to bare wood through long use, indicative of a chest that spent its life on the road.