Featured Asian Box. Chinese desk/scholar box or something else? Rosewood?

Picked this up recently. Chinese? Scholar box? Desk? Rosewood? Estimates on age? So many questions. Unfortunately the drawers stick from some warping or shifting of the wood and the latch on tops button is stuck. Still a neat little box.

 

Not sure this box is supposed to be anything other than a come hither. Perhaps it started out as an old shoeshine box, or calligraphy, or art box, but it doesn't appear to be very well made, not something that would hold up through time. The wrought iron handle and hinge pieces look like 1970s period. Surely someone stood on the top and it looks like the construction wasn't strong enough to hold them. I doubt it was made to deceive though, perhaps it was some kid's school shop project?

The top piece appears to be made of oak, the drawer sides look like plywood? We have more furniture people who may know more about your box. I could be completely wrong about my first impression here. Let's wait and see..

Please show a picture of the drawers and underside.

 

Not sure it is Chinese. Maybe India, Pakistan, or somewhere else altogether. (Great help, I know.)
Not a scholar box, and not rosewood.
A box for 'stuff'.

 

I would say it looks like it is this style of box more than anything else!!

 

I believe it is a Japanese writing box, called a suzuribako.

 

I would say you nailed it! Quite similar construction to what INH posted except mine doesn’t look like it ever had a mirror so it had me wondering. Thanks for finding this for me.

 

It helps that I have a very similar box in my own collection. I had not bothered to research it before, but I had some ideas of where to look.

 

Would love to see yours if you get a chance! They are neat boxes. I have an obsession with boxes to begin with so I’m biased but they have a simple and beautiful design imo. Do you happen to know what period yours might be from?

 

I will try to post some photos tomorrow.

 

If it's what I think it is - it's Japanese. I have seen Japanese writing cases in the past. They look similar to this.

 

Here is my suzuribako. It was a gift many years ago, so I have no specific provenance for it.

 

Nice! Yours definitely has beefier construction than mine. Good to see a crack in the top panel isn’t exclusive to mine. Different sized top drawers too where mine are both the same size. Very attractive box! Thanks for sharing.