Weird Asian Nesting Box

[paulb104]

Ok, so I've shown this to a few people adults who were born and raised in China. They didn't have a clue. Some of them are more interested to learn what this thing is more than I am.

These are uncropped, unaltered pictures. I wanted to make sure you saw them exactly as I see it.

It's kind of like a matryoshka, everything fits inside everything else.





The second largest box is actually just two pieces sitting next to each other.


Coffee and cake to whomever can accurately identify and valuate this thing!

 

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[paulb104]

Someone once suggested that it might be some sort of stamp. Here's a pic of the four sides of largest cube with the sides reversed. Maybe that might help.

 

[Molewacker]

Interesting! Perhaps the carvings can be translated for info?

Such a small size, for herbs/medicine perhaps?

Cool!

 

[paulb104]

Such a small size, for herbs/medicine perhaps?

If the whole thing fits into itself, and one piece is actually two pieces, this doesn't make sense.

I'll try to get a video of the thing being disassembled to really show how it all goes.

 

[paulb104]

Here you go. I had a pair of little hands to help.

 

[unclemac]

very cool item, where did you get it?

 

[paulb104]

My wife's dad had it. A few years ago he gave it to me for me to identify it for him.

 

[Mackaydon]

I have a set of English nesting cups that were used to measure weight.
Each cup has a certain weight and could be used to measure the weight of other objects.
Perhaps that is also the use of your nesting boxes.
Don...

 

[kcm]

You need to get the writing translated. The writing could be instructions, recipes, something to do with mathematics, or maybe the boxes tell a story. Might be a one-of-a-kind. Might be an Asian version of Trench Art. Might also have been a student project when someone was learning woodworking.

The layer that you said is in pieces - does it look like they might have once been attached?

 

[paulb104]

The layer that you said is in pieces - does it look like they might have once been attached?

I never really looked closely. The top portion of the two sides in the first photo makes me think that yes, they were attached initially.

 

[Carolina Tom]

I had a set of nesting turtles, that had stamps like that on the bottoms. Used to measure opium in the old days. Yours are too large for opium, I believe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_boxes

Also found the above link...

 

[paulb104]

I had a set of nesting turtles, that had stamps like that on the bottoms. Used to measure opium in the old days. Yours are too large for opium, I believe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_boxes

Also found the above link...

I haven't seen one of these Chinese boxes before. Or at least I don't think I've seen one...

 

[DCMatt]

Reminds me of Chinese pottery marks:

 

[DCMatt]

Several of these match yours. Don't know how they are used though...

 

[DCMatt]

Found them here:

CHINESE JIAQING PORCELAIN CALLIGRAPHY SEAL VASE

 

[paulb104]

Found them here:

CHINESE JIAQING PORCELAIN CALLIGRAPHY SEAL VASE

You're correct. Some of them are exact matches to mine. Some of them are very close matches. How did you come across this vase?

 

[paulb104]

Several of these match yours. Don't know how they are used though...

View attachment 1414421

It's fair to say that it's more than several.

 

[paulb104]

...there's yet more



That makes eleven matches that I could find, of twenty six sides. There could be more, but with potential of thing being upside down, and everything being reversed, it makes my head hurt. When I get more time I'll systematically go through all the pictures, rotating them all 90 degrees, all at once, and going over them again.

The two birds of mine vs the vase are a significant difference, but I'm clearly clueless at this point to what that means.

Obviously I'll need to get in contact with a Chinese porcelain expert to take the research further.

 

[DCMatt]

Not my vase... I found it researching on the Net...

It's what we do on this forum... Find out stuff and report it here... And we're pretty good.

DCMatt

 

[paulb104]

What I meant was how is it that you came across that particular vase in a search.