Antique Chinese Gouache Painting on Pith Paper of Worker with Horse Drawn Cart mid-century toys The deep hatbox style lid

The deep hatbox style lid fits snugly over the high-sided container

and a a bit of dark stain on the handle of the lid--also documented

There are a couple of minor splits in the wood on the top/lid and one split in the top interior tray

and gnarly

terrific South American textiles

Antique Chinese Gouache Painting on Pith Paper of Worker with Horse Drawn Cart mid-century toys The deep hatbox style lidSuch a fine, beautiful thing! This is a 19th century Chinese painting executed in gouache on pith paper a type of paper (resembling rice paper) that came into use in China in the 1820s (reaching its heyday in the 1830s and 40s) as a means to satisfy the increasing demand for small, inexpensive and easily transported souvenirs, following the massive growth in the China Trade in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Pith paper was made from the