Page 240 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

73 TP Y
A HUANGHUALI TWO-DRAWER ALTAR COFFER, LIANERCHU The present altar coffer is notable for its elegant proportions and
Qing Dynasty for the fine grain and rich honey-colour of the wood. Its design
The rectangular top with two panels enclosed in a mitered frame and was inspired by coffers produced during the Ming dynasty, which
set with everted flanges to either short end, over shaped spandrels displayed an outstanding choice of huanghuali timber and exceptional
flanking two drawers, each framed with a scrolling-edge panel, over craftsmanship. This is aptly demonstrated in the restrained balance
a wide three-section panel and plain spandrelled apron supported on allowing the superb timber the pride of place within the powerful
straight legs of rectangular section with beading to the inside edge, the geometric design formed by the careful balance between the drawers,
circular brass lockplates with bail handles. legs, top and beading.
159cm (62 1/2in) long x 88.5cm (34 6/8in) high x 57cm (22 1/2in) deep.
Coffers played a prominent part in Ming and Qing dynasty interiors due
£25,000 - 35,000 to their impressive size and were used mostly for the storage of items
such as bedding and clothes. A coffer with drawers is depicted in a
CNY230,000 - 320,000
woodblock print in the ‘Classic of Lu Ban Jing, Lu Ban Jing, a Ming
architectural manual, illustrated by K.Ruitenbeek, Carpentry & Building
清 黃花梨帶翹頭聯二櫥 in Late Imperial China: A Study of the Fifteenth-Century Carpenter’s
Manual Lu Ban Jing, 1993, The Netherlands, p.20, vol.2, p.43. Here,
Provenance: the coffer, bearing a mirror stand with an openwork panel, is depicted
An important European private collection in a lady’s dressing room.

來源： Compare with a three-drawer coffer of similar proportions and
歐洲重要私人收藏 openwork dragon spandrels in Ming Furniture, Ltd., 1987, p.15, no.12
illustrated on the front cover. See, also, a three-drawer altar coffer
illustrated by R.H.Ellsworth, Chinese Hardwood Furniture: Examples
From the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1971, p.163, pl.61.

Compare with a related huanghuali three-drawer coffer, circa 1550-
1600, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the type of which
may have served as the inspiration source for the present example,
illustrated by C.Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1997, p.84.

櫥面以榫卯攢框平鑲二拼面心，兩端翹頭。櫥面下兩具抽屜臉貼壺門 參考一件聯三櫥，比例及裝飾風格可與本例比對，見《Ming Furniture
式券口，悶倉立牆中加兩根短柱，分三段裝板。牙條光素，兩側掛牙 Ltd.》，紐約，1987年，頁15，編號12及圖錄封面。另見一例收錄於
曲線不繁，與屜上券口飾板遙相呼應。腿足方材，四腿八挓，厚重而 安思遠著，《Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and
不失挺拔。 Early Ch’ing Dynasties》，紐約，1971年，頁163，圖版61。維多利
亞與阿爾伯特博物館館藏一例約1550至1600年聯三櫥，見柯律格著
櫥具形如本例，抽屜之下設一空間封閉的「悶倉」的，統稱「悶戶 《Chinese Furniture》，倫敦，1997年，頁84，可資比對。
櫥」；棖間加設立牆裝兩個抽屜的即為聯二櫥。此類櫥具既可陳設
物品，又可用於貯藏，在明清時期極為流行，也是舊時必備的嫁妝
之一。明《魯班經匠家鏡》插圖版畫中描繪了一件類似家具，上置
鏡台，擺放於閨閣之中；見K.Ruitenbeek著，《Carpentry & Building
in Late Imperial China: A Study of the Fifteenth-Century Carpenter’s
Manual Lu Ban Jing》，卷二，荷蘭，1993年，頁20，頁43。

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238 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.