Early Works (pre-2000) > Hide & Seek Curio Box

Hide & Seek Curio Box
Hide & Seek Curio Box
Orchard Pear wood and Camphor
5 ½" x 11" x 17"
1997

This box made to house small precious things was inspired by carved Moorish treasure chests. Instead of a carved relief frieze, this box exhibits a parquetry pattern based on aerial views of farmlands, a random assembly of rectangles. Slicing and dicing the pear wood into tiny pieces and creating the parquetry mosaic shows off the amazing natural color range of this particular tree. Each compartment in the top is accessed by a sliding door that operates like a Chinese puzzle, so placing and retrieving the curios becomes a sort of treasure hunt.