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Food Storage Box
Chinese tea chest (a); wood construction of lacquered (?) Rosewood (?) or camphor (?); lid is attached with 3 brass (?) hinges; centre front shaped brass (?) closure has locking mechanism; 2 curved brass (?) handles are located on each side; a sewn burlap cover encases the entire chest and is constructed to cover the lid and base with an opening along the lid edge; 8 black cotton fabric Chinese style knot and loop closures serve to join the burlap cover base to the lid; the interior of the chest has a wood surface finish like the exterior; 2 loose interior wood trays (b,c) were found in the base of the chest; 3 paper labels are adhered to the interior, two are red, one is white, all have Chinese text and numerals; one red paper label with Chinese text is adhered to the front exterior under the burlap cover; the burlap cover has Chinese text inscribed in black ink along the top and front with some evidence of remnants of adhered labels.