Brown Lacquer Winter Hat Box

No self-respecting man in Qing-dynasty China would leave the house without some kind of hat. In fact, headgear was so central to social status that even the containers used to store one's hat were beautifully constructed. With its elaborate form and rich, dark lacquer finish, this 19th-century wooden hat box likely belonged to an individual of rank and nobility. The round box would have been used to store a fine winter hat, known as jiguan or chaoguan. Such hats were constructed of decadent silks, trimmed with satin or fur, and topped with a beaded finial denoting rank. The tiered lid of this hat box accommodated the finial and preserved the hat's domed shape. Slotted ventilation holes on the underside are reminiscent of the interlocking coin motif, symbolic of wealth and success. Richly colored, this sculptural box is a fantastic collector's item and a statement addition to the home.