Chinese Leather Box

Description

Chinese Pigskin (or Hide) Box

It uses a traditional technique where a wood core is tightly wrapped in pigskin, sealed, and then painted and varnished with a natural oil-based lacquer (often using tung oil).

Here is the updated breakdown based on it being an octagonal pigskin container:

Identification

 Material: Pigskin leather over a thin wood frame. The slight flexing, organic texture, and the specific type of cracking/peeling along the top rim are classic indicators of dried, aged hide.

 Decoration: The scholar scenes are hand-painted directly onto the leather surface before a protective topcoat was applied.

 Age: Still consistent with the late 19th to early 20th century (Late Qing to early Republic period). These leather boxes were highly popular for travel, storage, and wedding gifts because they were much lighter and more durable than solid wood or heavy lacquerware.