Black
paulownia
Nong

Paulownia wood; yellow brass fittings; pine blacking and oil finish 

Mid to late nineteenth century, Ch'ungch'ong Province. 
 
 
 
Height Width Depth
Inches 47 30.5 14.5
Centimeters 120 78 37
 
The two-unit stacked chest (nong) was used mainly by the upper class, for long-term storage of clothing (paulownia is resistent to bugs and humidity). 
This wood has a highly textured grain, and the craftsman took full advantage of that quality in this nong by treating the paulownia the same way he did most paulownia chests. First, he rubbed pine soot into the wood with straw. Rubbing with straw also protected the wood because it sealed the pores in the wood and prevented drying. (Another popular way to render the same effect was to burn the wood's surface slightly and then rub the ashes into the wood with straw.) After the rubbing a finish of oil or natural lacquer - or both - was applied. In this case, it is most likely that pineseed oil was used. 
The vertical grain of the door and the panels to each side works with the horizontal grain of the body to provide a combination of vitality and stability. 
(As is the sad case with most extant Chosun chests, the chest for this stand is not its original.)
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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