A large huamu-inset huanghuali round-corner tapered cabinet, yuanjiaogui, 17h-18th century. Estimate $200,000 – $300,000. Photo Christie's Image Lt 2015

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. 59 ¾ in. (151.8 cm.) high, 36 5/8 in. (93 cm.) wide, 18 ½ in. (47 cm.) deep

Provenance: Property from the Lai Family Collection.

Notes: 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 fine example of the successful combination of huanghuali frame andhuamu panels. This use of mixed wood forms a pleasing aesthetic, with the golden amber tones of the huanghualiproviding an attractive contrast to the darker, swirled grain of the burl. The floating 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 Hatfield Ellsworth, sold at Christie's New York, 18 March 2015, lot 115.

Christie's. THE LAI FAMILY COLLECTION OF FINE CHINESE FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART, 17 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza