Can you post a couple of pics ?? One of the carving and one of the dry area ??
Generally it just dries out from household heat and air !! And if exposed to sunlight the color can fade a bit !! If the carving was finished on the edges and doesn`t feel rough almost any good furniture oil polish will add the shine back but it may take several coats if you have not kept it done regularly !! I use Old English lemon oil but you can also use linseed oil or tung oil !! Otherwise either of the above will add the sheen back that it has lost !!
Let the oil polish sit for 5 minutes or so and buff well !!
Thanks for this. I will post pics in the next few days. The carving is finished; the chest is carved on all four sides and the top so “Buffing” it there would be difficult. (You’ll see when I post pics.) . Would you recommend using a small brush to get the oil into the carved sections?
As the chest sits under a window we usually keep it covered until we have company!