Costume Chest Item Number: N1.865 a from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Cantonese Opera costume chest with curved lid and false bottom. False bottom (3 1/8 in. deep) has 1 1/4 in. holes, 8 in. from either end, front and back, for insertion of carrying poles. Curved lid is covered with leather (dark brown) secured by hand wrought iron nails. Iron closures on lid line up with closures on front of chest. Chest is painted red with large, circular, floral motif in centre front, green vertical line of white Chinese characters on either side. Above center floral motif is Arabic numeral "6", (which also appears at upper right hand corner) and above this is printed "Made in" (first line) "and" Kum Lon Chang Co. Chong Yuen Fong Street, Canton". Iron handles mounted vertically and iron rings on either side of numeral "6". The same handles and rings appear on back of chest, under three hinges on lid. Iron handles on each side. Wrought iron braces on corners.

History Of Use

Cantonese opera accessory, used to store costumes and as stage property.