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P. 93
PROPERTY FROM THE MONTEREY MUSEUM OF ART,
SOLD TO BENEFIT THE MUSEUM FUNDS
8163 Provenance
A PAIR OF FINE CINNABAR LACQUER CABINETS The Monterey Museum of Art
19th century
Each cabinet with two doors divided by a central post, each door Small and finely carved cabinets such as the present lot would have
delicately carved with a scene of scholars admiring a landscape of been placed upon a kang for storage of small, treasured pieces from a
pines and mountains within a geometric frame and key-fret borders, collection. The scholarly scenes would have facilitated relaxation and
above a drawer carved each carved with a scene of a traveling scholar retreat from daily cares, and enhanced the enjoyment of viewing the
and his attendant within a lobed cartouche flanked by lotus meander treasures kept inside.
above an apron similarly carved with lotus scroll, the sides and top
of each cabinet similarly carved with geometric floral ground and Although often produced in pairs, it is less common for a pair of such
raised key-fret edges and each cabinet opening to reveal two drawers cabinets to survive so long. However a single cabinet carved with
also lacquered and incised with geometric design, the interiors and scholarly scenes sold at Sotheby’s New York, 20 March 2012, sale
removable backs lacquered black. N08834, lot 191, and another single cabinet carved with dragons
17 1/2in x 14 1/8 x 6 1/2in (47 x 36 x 16.5cm), each cabinet sold at Christie’s New York, 19-20 September 2013, sale 2726, lot
1637. A slightly larger pair of two-door cabinets carved with scholar’s
$30,000 - 50,000 objects is illustrated in The Complete Collection or Treasures of the
十九世紀 人 紋一 alace Museum Lacquer ares of the ing ynasty, Hong Kong,
2006, no. 65, and a single four-door cabinet dated to the 18th century
is illustrated in Car ing the Subtle adiance of Colors Treasured
Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2013, no. 172.
CHINESE, INDIAN, HIMALAYAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART AND PAINTINGS | 91
