Black Lacquer Stacking Box

The basic form of this three-tiered rosewood box with handle has remained unchanged for a thousand years. The lack of formal dining rooms in traditional China prompted families to use stacked boxes to carry food from a remote kitchen to the room where it would be eaten. This elmwood stacking box has finely beaded simple floral panels topped by swirling cloud formations and would have been a favorite choice for a member of the Qing-dynasty elite. Cloaked in a dark lacquer finish, the snack box has graphic presence as a decorative piece or jewelry box.