Small wooden Indian flour chest

A delightful carved wooden chest from Himachal Pradesh in northern India.

Wooden boxes like this are used for storing flour. After harvesting, the wheat or barley grains would be taken to the local flour mill, probably water powered at the side of a stream or nala. Flour mills may be communal, they're also a gathering point for the local people. 

This is a simple construction, wooden boards are jointed with tenons secured with wooden pegs. The lid is simply hinged and the whole construction can be used as a small table when the lid is down. 

Dimensions: W51 H36 D29cm