Antique Small Size Hand-Painted wooden Chest with A Young Boy and Bird. This interesting chest with a rare original motif of a young boy holding an auspicious magpie bird was specially created to store a child's belongings. It came from the Shanxi area in China. Such chests were popular to use for children believing that they brought good luck, safety, and prosperity. A commonly seen motif on these boxes would be a painted Fu-lion with majority of the boxes found being made in the earlier part of the 20th century and often repainted. This one is possibly from the 19th century. The back metal hinges have been replaced. This is truly a charming piece!