Page 36 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

Constructed from highly-figured huanghuali wood, the present lot is a 箱插門式，正面可裝卸的面板攢邊框鑲兩拼面心，正中上方鑲白銅圓
rare example of a medicine chest, yaoxiang. The term refers to small 形面葉及鎖頭，下以菊花護眼錢掛鉤吊牌，四角包如意形白銅片。兩
boxes with no opening at the top. While such boxes may have been 側面各安長方形白銅環與三枚菱形護眼錢，下方有白銅構件，可供布
intended to store precious herbs, medicines and medical instruments, 帶或繩子穿過方便搬運。立牆包鑲白銅片加固。櫃內設平列的六具抽
they were equally suitable as tabletop chests for storing small items, 屜，臉上皆飾一對菊花瓣護眼和瓶形吊牌。
from documents to writing materials.
形如本例的插門式小箱傳世甚少，或因插門是較早期的做法，後逐漸
The present example features a front panel that can be removed 被兩開門取代。本例形似鏡箱但無頂蓋，無處可支架銅鏡，故歸入藥
to permit access to the six drawers. The door is held in place by 箱一類。通身光素，用材考究，尤為適合置於書齋閨閣，存放筆墨文
tongue-and-grove at the bottom and a brass lock above. According 書乃至首飾珍玩。明末清初文士李漁著《閒情偶寄》，論及抽屜之功
to ‘Random Notes on Times of Leisure’ Xian qing ou ji by Li Yu 用，稱多多益善，「以便分門別類，隨所有而藏之，譬如生藥舖中有
(1610-1680) (a Ming dynasty intellectual and playwright), multi-drawer 所謂『百眼櫥』者」，即如此例。
cabinets were designed for scholars after the design of a pharmacist’s
‘hundred-eye cabinet’. 有關此類小箱之用途，可參考伍嘉恩著，〈Small Portable Treasures〉，
收錄於《Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society》1993年秋
For a discussion about the use of these chests see G.Wu Bruce, ‘Small 季刊，加州，頁60-62。另比較一件十七世紀黃花梨藥箱，王世襄著，
Portable Treasures’, Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society, 《明式家具研究》，卷二，香港，1990年，圖版E21。
Autumn 1993, pp.60-62. Compare with a related huanghuali medicine
cabinet, 17th century, illustrated by Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of
Chinese Furniture Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990,
vol.2, pl.E21.

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