Page 160 - Irving Collection Part II Chinese Art

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L A C Q U E R • J A D E • B R O N Z E • I N K T H E R V I N G C O L L E C T I O N 髹金飾玉 - 歐雲伉儷珍藏

~1206 A RARE PAIR OF HUANGHUALI SQUARE-CORNER CABINETS,
FANGJIAOGUI
CHINA, 17TH-18TH CENTURY

Each with well-fgured single-panel doors opening to reveal the shelved
interior with two drawers, raised on molded square-section legs joined by
plain aprons and spandrels, with baitong shaped lockplate and hinges
81º in. (206.4 cm.) high, 38Ω in. (97.8 cm.) wide, 22º in. (56.5 cm.) deep (2)
$300,000-500,000

PROVENANCE
Eastern Pacifc Co., Hong Kong, 1990.
The Irving Collection, no. 1020.
The simple, austere lines of these cabinets create a sense of solidity
and strength, as well as an architectural quality created by the unusual
proportions, that feature a slimmer profle, combined with the strong
horizontal lines of the top and bottom members. The uprights and
horizontal members are distinguished by the elegant and well-carved
“thumb-grooved” moldings on the doors and sides. The backs are
constructed from large sections of huanghuali. Such attention to detail in
both construction, carving and material suggest that the cabinets were
constructed by a master cabinetmaker.

One unusual, though very successful, variant evident on the present
cabinets is the slightly protruding frame at the top, as typically the
frame is fush on all four sides. See a related huanghuali square-corner
cabinet of similar size, dated seventeenth-eighteenth century, also
with a protruding frame at the top, sold at Christie’s, New York, 22-23
March 2012, lot 1726. This rare variant can be found in both huanghuali
and softwood examples. See also, a line drawing of a similar cabinet
illustrated by Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming
and Early Qing Dynasties, vol. I, 1990, Hong Kong, p.152, D24.
十七/十八世紀 黃花梨方角櫃一對

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