Page 66 - Christies THE LAI FAMILY COLLECTION OF FINE CHINESE FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART

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A LARGE HUAMU-INSET HUANGHUALI ROUND-
CORNER TAPERED CABINET, YUANJIAOGUI
17TH-18TH CENTURY

The top frame is carved with beaded edge and
protrudes past the huanghuali frame inset with
nanmu burl panels in the doors and on the sides.
The doors open to reveal the shelved interior
with two drawers, all above plain aprons and
spandrels on the front and sides.
59æ in. (151.8 cm.) high, 36¬ in. (93 cm.) wide,
18Ω in. (47 cm.) deep

$200,000-300,000

PROVENANCE:

Property from the Lai Family Collection.

The round-corner, tapered cabinet, or yuanjiaogui,,
is one of the most beautiful and elegant designs in
all of classical Chinese furniture. The present cabinet
is a fne example of the successful combination of
huanghuali frame and huamu panels. This use of
mixed wood forms a pleasing aesthetic, with the
golden amber tones of the huanghuali providing an
attractive contrast to the darker, swirled grain of the
burl. The foating panels on the doors of the present
cabinet have a distinctive pattern of clusters of burls
indicating that they were cut from the same piece of
timber. The careful matching of the doors suggests
that the cabinetmaker intentionally designed the
cabinets to feature the natural markings of the
wood.

Compare a smaller burl-inset huanghuali tapered
cabinet (107.6 cm. high) illustrated by G.W. Bruce,
Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and the Romance
with Huanghuali Wood: The Dr. S.Y. Yip Collection
of Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1991, pp.
124-5, no. 48. See, also, a smaller pair of huamu and
nanmu-inset huanghuali tapered cabinets (100.6
cm. high) from the Collection of Robert Hatfeld
Ellsworth, sold at Christie’s New York, 18 March
2015, lot 115.

明末/清十八世紀 黃花梨嵌樺木大圓角櫃

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