Lacquered Round 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. This large 19th-century round wooden hat box is wonderfully decorated with a thin layer of red-brown lacquer and hand-painted floral motifs. The box's size makes it ideal as a low side table or pedestal.