Information on antique chest with mother of pearl inlay, please

[amandac]

I was wondering if you could please help me with some information on this chest I found at a thrift store in Vancouver, BC. I can't seem to find any identifying marks, stamps or labels. I'd like to know when and where it may be from, and how much it may be worth. Would it be safe for me to scrub it down and linseed oil it? I'm afraid of more of the mother of pearl pieces falling out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/acecalhoun/sets/72157621675200675/
If you would like more pics I can take them for you.

[amandac]

Also, it's approx 25"x13"x14"

[talesofthesevenseas]

I am not an expert, but it looks very much like the kind of boxes that are sold in bazaars, such as Khan el-Khalili in Cairo, Egypt. I bought one and an inlaid drum that were not too different from your box. I would say it could also be from India, and unless there are signs of aging on the wood, it could be modern rather than antique. It is hard to say from the photos, and again, I'm not an expert.

[ironlord1963]

I usually stay out of post I know little to nothing about, but have to say I kept coming back for a second and third look.  Wow what a thrift store find, I not sure I could of passed this one up either.  I did notice the poor repair job on the hinge, which I find a bit unusual. Nails and screws mixed and they either needed smaller nails or a better hammer  .   I would say this is old based on someone tried to repair it and looks as if some time has passed since the repair.  Not sure it is old enough to be considered a antique but looks old.  The other point and maybe it is just the pics but the mother of pearl inlay look too plain white, most mother of pearl has a bit of texture and opalulence look about it.  But I like it and someone really spent a lot of time handmaking it.  However better let the others take a poke at this before I go much further.

[regularjoe2]

I see in your posted images what appears to be a repair/replacement of a wood block in the area where , perhaps , a lock had once been (top center , front of trunk below the lid) .
Are there other areas where similar wood repairs have been made ?

If it was mine , I'd first carefully check all the inlaid pieces to find any loose ones (by hand , of course) , even before cleaning it .

I will comment that the wood carvings seem to be of a dif. skill level than the inlays .

[amandac]

Thanks for the replies! Yes, I was going to mention the repair where maybe a lock was once supposed to be. It's not too obvious, but it is a little wonky. There aren't really any other repairs done that I can detect, except the handles seem kind of wiry and cheap (and old). And you're right about the carvings being different than the inlay. The mother of pearl is quite opalescent, but I didn't really photograph it right. It looks very gorgeous in the sunlight! The hinge repair job does look pretty slapdash, as does the old scotch tape on the inside where the handles are attached.

It is lovely, and at $25 and the ridiculousness of me carrying it home on my bike, it was a great find!

[regularjoe2]

It may be a mutoid , but a cool one at that .... and a good tale too !

[talesofthesevenseas]

There are so many inlaid boxes in the middle east- All hand made, lots of homemade nails and a lot of them looking old already. I'm gonna have to make my bet that it's not as old as it looks. But I could be totally wrong. So I will keep my fingers crossed for that I am wrong and wish ya lots o' luck!  

Here's a bunch from Syria, the bazaars are filled with this kind of thing and it is really hard to tell the old from the new:

[amandac]

Wow! It does look like those. Nice! They are all so intricate.

[talesofthesevenseas]

They are very beautiful. I love them and brought a few home as gifts from Egypt. Either way, new or old, you've got a beauty!

[regularjoe2]

I'm doing a quick drive-by here & wanted to post a suggestion for your consideration ...

Perhaps this is a old(er) trunk , that was salvaged & then re-fitted with hardware , then inlay work & carving happened (also possibly a 'new' base for the trunk ?) .

I'd like to see a pic of the end(s) of the item - I'm looking for old hand-cut dovetails ...