λ AN ANGLO-CHINESE HUANGHUALI BUREAU CABINET

λ AN ANGLO-CHINESE HUANGHUALI BUREAU CABINET

QIANLONG, C.1750-60

with a moulded cornice, above a pair of panelled doors with leaf carved mouldings, enclosing an associated adjustable shelf and two drawers, the backboards with an inscription with Chinese characters for a retail establishment, above a hinged fall revealing nine drawers and five pigeonholes around a central cupboard, above four long graduated drawers and bracket feet, with paktong escutcheons, hinges and handles, some of the drawer linings and pigeonholes with Chinese character marks

190.2cm high, 108cm wide, 56cm deep

Provenance

George Rognvald (Bill) Sykes Esq (1889-1955) and by descent to the current owner. George Sykes joined the Malay Civil Service in 1913 and specialised in Chinese, learning to speak three different dialects. He was stationed in Singapore, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh (where there is a road named after him) and Singapore again. The highlight of his career was when he became Resident Councillor of Malacca, the oldest Malay state. On each of his postings, because of his expertise in Chinese, he was appointed the Protector of the Chinese. The bureau was possibly acquired whilst he was a resident in Malacca.

Catalogue Note

This bureau cabinet was constructed in China, probably Canton or Macau, for an English client, possibly ordered for an East India Company official. It is made of huanghuali, a timber native to Asia. Huanghuali (Dalbergia odorifera) literally translates as 'yellow flowering pear' wood which is a member of the rosewood family. It was predominantly found on the island of Hainan and was the wood of choice for the Emperor of China and the elite during the Ming and Qing dynasties. This cabinet is based on an English prototype but constructed in an entirely Chinese way, in-particularly with the use of solid timbers.

A very similar pair of cabinets were sold in these rooms, Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks, 9th January 2020, lot 169 for £112,500 (including fees).

Literature

For a discussion of 18th century Chinese export furniture and a related bureau cabinet in the collection of Richard Milhender, see Carl S. Crossman, 'The Decorative Arts of the China Trade', pp.220-237, pl.79.