Page 166 - Sothebys Fine Chinese Art London, November 2018

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A PAIR OF ‘HUANGHUALI’ AND
‘HONGMU’ SQUARE-CORNER
COMPOUND CABINETS, SIJIANGUI
QING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH
CENTURY

each huanghuali-veneered cabinet of rectangular form,
comprising a smaller top chest resting on a larger bottom one,
the top cabinet of mitre, mortise, tenon, tongue-and-grooved
flush floating-panel construction with four square uprights, the
bottom cabinet similarly constructed with rectangular floating
panels set within a narrow frame, the side panels on both the
top and bottom cabinets of the same mitre, mortise, tenon,
tongue-and-grooved, flush, floating-panel construction, all
above plain spandrel aprons, the doors with baitong circular
hinges, the central circular plates with three openings for the
lock receptacles and shaped door pulls
(4)
266 by 126.7 by 59.8 cm, 104¾ by 49⅞ by 23½ in.
Known as sijiangui (four-part wardrobes), or dingxiangligui (top
cupboards and upright wardrobes), massive two-part cabinets
of this type were generally made and displayed in pairs.
Composed of two cabinets stacked on top of each other, the
spacious lower cabinet was used to hold robes and large items,
while smaller items, or objects that were not often needed,
were reserved for the top, which being so high up often
necessitated the use of a ladder. For a further discussion of
the history and construction of this type of cabinet, see Sarah
Handler, ‘Proportion and Joinery in Four-Part Wardrobes’,
Orientations, January 1991, vol. 22, no. 1, pp 52-57.
Related cabinets include a pair published in Robert Hatfield
Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture. Hardwood Examples of the Ming
and Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1970, pl. 132; another pair,
from the collection of Mme Henri Vetch, illustrated in Gustav
Ecke, Chinese Domestic Furniture, Rutland, 1962, no. 101,
pl. 125; and a larger pair, from the Reverend Richard Fabian
collection, sold in our New York rooms, 15 March 2016, lot 42.
th
◉ W £ 60,000-80,000
HK$ 610,000-815,000 US$ 77,500-104,000

清十八/十九世紀 黃花梨紅木方角四件櫃一對

164 SOTHEBY’S