Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

λ AN EXCEPTIONAL CHINESE BLACK AND GOLD LACQUER SECRETAIRE CABINET
CANTON C.1840

The upper section with a swan neck pediment with carved and gilded rosettes, decorated with two four-clawed dragons. Below the pediment, the two-door cabinet is inset with two mirror glass ancestor portrait paintings of a male and female figure, the man wearing a blue surcoat with stylised dragon roundels and a kesi robe, the woman holding a ruyi-sceptre and wearing a red coat decorated with gold dragons amidst clouds, a kesi robe, a veil and an unusual Western-style scarf. The two doors opening to reveal painted landscape scenes depicting figures within pavilions, the interior with a shelf above two camphor long drawers.

The lower section with a deep secretaire drawer decorated with further figures playing weiqi and musical instruments within pavilions, above two short drawers. The interior of the secretaire with a central mirrored door flanked by pigeonholes and numerous drawers. The two long drawers below with cast brass pull handles of rosette design and decorated with further figural scenes. The writing surface, the back of the long drawers and one short drawer with ink Chinese characters which read ‘Earth left’, ‘Earth right’, ‘Bottom’ and ‘Earth’ respectively. The writing surface also with an ink inscription to the right-hand side. The sides painted with further figures in landscapes surrounded by four-clawed dragons and the top-section mounted with stop-bail handles. The whole supported on four carved and gilded paw feet. All of the drawer locks appear to be of Chinese manufacture. 213.4cm high x 55.9cm deep (lower section); 36.8cm deep (upper section) x 122cm wide.

* This item is offered for sale in accordance with the Ivory Act 2018 and has been assigned an exemption certificate, Ref. No. KYGJPYC1 in relation to the small nine turned knobs to the inner drawers.

This cabinet shows close affinities with two black and gilt bonheur du jour, one in the collection of the Rhode Island Historical Society, accession no. 1962.3.8, illustrated by C Crossman, The Decorative Arts of The China Trade, plate 150, where he ascribes it a c.1825 date. The other example is from the collection of His Majesty, The King on loan to the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, illustrated by P Conner, The China Trade, 1600 – 1860, pl.171 where he ascribes it a 1825–1850. The decoration on the inside of the doors of the Brighton Pavilion cabinet compares well with the inside decoration of the doors of the example offered here. The Rhode Island Historical Society bonheur du jour is raised on pineapple feet which Crossman argues predate the paw feet in Chinese furniture made for export to the American market.

For another comparable see the games box on a stand from the Nordiska Museet illustrated by Jan Wirgin in Fran Kina till Europa, pl. 293 which exhibits the same paw feet and dragon decoration to the curved edge of the box, and which is ascribed a c.1840-1860 date.

清 黑漆描金亭台樓閣圖立櫃 (約1840年廣東)