Rare Antique Lacquered wood/Bamboo Tray with old written Calligraphy Dating of "Guangxu 29th year (1903)" from the late Qing Dynasty on the back of the tray. It is not often that we find wooden objects with written or carved dating.

This antique tray is made of a nice thick Nan-Mu wood bottom with beautiful grain. The inside of the tray is lacquered with a stunning old red made from organic compound. The tray is built and surrounded with four carved thick broad bamboo bands, further topped with four thick lacquered wood rods in black lacquer to enhance the durability of the tray for usage. This tray was solidly built with the idea to use it for a long time.

The bamboo is carved in an open work with a stylized "dragon-tail" design in continuing scroll form. The four bamboo bands are pegged together with interesting bamboo joinery that is similar to the wood joinery-a nice feature.

The use of red lacquer on wooden ware is common from the Jiang-Zhe area where this wood/bamboo tray was created. This tray might have been used for serving tea or used as a personal tray for placing embroidery tools or other personal objects.

Dimensions: 11 1/4" L x 6 1/2" W x 1 7/8" H

---