Important Notice

Camphor wood
41.5 x 42 x 19.5 in (105.4 x 106.7 x 49.5 cm)


A burled camphor wood chest of drawers that splits two sections, the bottom section consists of two large drawers while the upper section comprises one large drawer and two smaller drawers.

The "smelly cousin of cinnamon", the Camphor tree is a member of the laurel family, and is native to parts of India, Sri Lanka, China, and Japan. It yields excellent timber for crafting solid, durable furniture. Its pale to mid-brown wood, often streaked with a darker grain, makes for a distinctive colour and texture. A mature tree develops many large burls, which allows for intricate and detailed veneers in marquetry and panelling. Besides being sought after by lumber yards and furniture designers, it is a favourite among drug manufacturers for its many medicinal properties.

Traditionally, camphor wood was used to make ceremonial items such as the Chinese mu-yu temple drums. Cutting a Camphor tree would have been punishable by death. During the Ming dynasty, chests made from camphor wood were used to store royal robes-a practice that later became customary among Chinese families, who would use it for packing blankets, clothes, linen, as well as food, personal papers, and other keepsakes.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, as trade across the Silk Route flourished, ship captains and sailors found that the clean, spicy fragrance which camphor exuded was a natural repellent against moths and wood boring insects. It became common to use camphor chests for carrying goods like tea, silk, spices, and porcelain from China to Europe. Some of the more ornate ones, with carvings of dragons, ships, and animals, ended up as decorative pieces in European living rooms.

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