Korean Ton Kwe Coin Chest (With Later Stand) - Ca 1920

This old Korean coin chest on stand is known locally as a Ton-Kwe 돈궤. It's immediately identifiable from its pine wood frame and iconic iron hardware. Traditional coin chests were around 1 - 1.2 meters in length and were made from red elm, from the 20th century, the majority of ton-kwe were constructed from pine, reinforced with iron. 

The Korean ton-kwe coin chest began life as storage for the 'Mun', the main currency of Korea from 1633 onwards. As mun were of small denominations, they had to be strung together to have any value. These chains of coins were stored in these chests. 

This bijou sized chest would make an unusual coffee table, or blanket box at the end of a bed. The pine wood is patinated from years of age and the ironwork features square motifs. There is writing on the inside of the chest.  The chest dates to the 1920's and a later stand was added towards the end of the 20th century. 

Antique Korean furniture is rare to find in Europe, especially of this quality.

From Korea

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