Antique Chests & Trunks

Antique chests and trunks combine characterful storage with exceptional craftsmanship — perfect as blanket boxes, hallway storage or coffee tables with presence.

Our collection spans India, China, Tibet, Burma and Sri Lanka — bringing together brass-bound Indian military trunks, Chinese camphor chests & painted opera chests and Tibetan storage chests alongside rare Dutch-Colonial examples. Crafted in teak, rosewood, jackfruit, satinwood and camphor, each piece is hand-made, timeworn and quietly monumental — a one-off that functions as practical storage or an evocative coffee table trunk.

Indian Military, Campaign & Merchant Trunks

Indian military / campaign chests are almost always constructed from teak and bound with brass, often with owner’s plaques, and originate across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Hyderabad (South India) and Burma. Painted trunks from Rajasthan appear in warm mineral colours with borders and cartouches. The highest-quality merchant boxes from the Shekhawati region show refined proportions and fittings, while Jaisalmer boxes tend to be smaller and chip-carved. (Jaisalmer also produced distinctive stick boxes in kair wood.) Explore more under Indian Chests & Trunks or our broader Campaign Furniture.

Chinese Camphor & Painted Opera Chests (Camphor & Lacquer)

Camphor wood chests — typically from the Shanghai / Canton region — are prized for aromatic, insect-resistant timber and glowing red lacquer. Our painted Chinese chests include opera chests with gilt and mineral-pigment scenes; superb as blanket boxes or statement coffee tables.

Tibetan Painted Chests (Pine, Mineral Pigments)

All of our Tibetan chests are genuine antiques, painted over gessoed pine with cinnabar, lampblack and verdigris. Dragon, lotus and auspicious motifs create saturated colour and softly burnished surfaces with ritual depth. See the wider edit under Tibetan Painted Furniture.

Sri Lankan & South Indian Dutch-Colonial

From Sri Lanka and the South Indian coast come rare Dutch-Colonial trunks in satinwood, jackfruit and teak, often edged in ebony and fitted with heavy brass mounts — sculptural bases and domed lids that bring coastal elegance to modern interiors. Browse related pieces in Sri Lankan Campaign & Colonial Furniture.

Authenticity, Restoration & Use

Unlike reproductions, our antiques show genuine patina — layered lacquer, hand-forged hardware and wear consistent with age and use. Every chest is sympathetically restored in our Wiltshire workshop for stability and daily practicality: end-of-bed blanket box, linen and toy storage, hallway bench or coffee table trunk. We also offer clearly labelled reclaimed wood pieces made from old timbers.