Antique Korean Bandaji Chest Gyeonggi Do Joseon Dynasty

An antique drop front storage chest (known as Bandaji in Korean) circa late 19th century the late Joseon Dynasty. Constructed from thick planks of knotty yellow pine that were hand-hewn, the chest has a solid and robust built and quite heavy. It is in its original condition with lots of patina and characters accumulated from its age and use.
The rustic wood contrasts interestingly with the elaborate yellow brass hardware that were used profusely on its facade. A square lock plate and five large rectangular belt door hinges dominate the facade. They share common openwork motifs of floral petals and stacks of trigrams that look like Chinese character "Wealth". In addition, there are cloud-pattern corner plates and fleur-de-lis side hinges as well as decorative chrysanthemum nails which were repeated at the two handle bases. The wide range of motifs employed as well as the profusion of brass fittings was clearly an intentional display of wealth.
Relatively tall and wide in size, the piece was from Gyeonggi Do, the wealthy province where the capital Seoul is located. It is dated to late 19th century of Joseon Dynasty.