Zelkova Bandaji 

Zelkova front, pine frame; iron fittings; oil finish. 

Mid nineteenth century; Kyong'gi Province. 
 
Height Width Depth
Inches
29
32.3
16.5
Centimeters
74
82
42
 
 
Zelkova belongs to the same family as the elm; it has the same general grain but is more distinctive. The different grain patterns that you see in the lower half of the chest mean that the panel is crosscut from the first branching of the tree, where the branches grew into each other as they widened with age. 
Both the sombre tone of the wood and the dark, restrained iron fittings tell us that this resided in the Confucian gentleman's quarters. The oil used in the chest's finish may have been mixed with finely ground loess soil; this mixture (t'o-bun) was applied to preserve the wood and bring out its colors, but it is also used even today for cleaning and toning both wood and brass.
(The photo at the top was taken outside, in sun-dappled shade.)
 
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Fittings		  
Upper body closeup		  
Grain
 
 
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1. Black paulownia nong
2. Linden bandaji
3. Zelkova burl jang
4. Paulownia ham
 
5. Red paulownia nong		  
6. Wild walnut nong		  
7. Red pine ham		  
8. Cherry bandaji		  
9. Zelkova bandaji
 
10. Persimmon nong		  
11. Zelkova lattice jang		  
12. Pine framed bandaji		  
13. Red pine bandaji 		 More