Lot 194. A pair of huanghuali and hongmu square-corner compound cabinets, sijiangui, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century. Estimate GBP 100,000 - GBP 150,000 (USD 123,300 - USD 184,950). Photo Sotheby's.

each huanghuali-veneered cabinet of rectangular form, comprising a smaller top chest resting on a larger bottom one, the top cabinet of mitre, mortise, tenon, tongue-and-grooved flush floating-panel construction with four square uprights, the bottom cabinet similarly constructed with rectangular floating panels set within a narrow frame, the side panels on both the top and bottom cabinets of the same mitre, mortise, tenon, tongue-and-grooved, flush, floating-panel construction, all above plain spandrel aprons, the doors with baitong circular hinges, the central circular plates with three openings for the lock receptacles and shaped door pulls. Quantité: 4 - 266 by 126.7 by 59.8 cm, 104 3/4  by 49 7/8  by 23 1/2  in.

Notes: Known as sijiangui (four-part wardrobes), these impressive cabinets were generally made and displayed in pairs against the side wall of a room, hence their square members. Cabinets of this type are composed of two cabinets stacked on top of each other, the larger lower cabinet used to hold robes and large items, while smaller items, or objects that were not often needed, were kept on the top cabinet, which being so high up often necessitated the use of a ladder.

A similar cabinet is illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Classic Chinese Furniture. Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, London, 1986, pl. 148; a pair is published in Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture. Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1970, pl. 132; another pair, from the collection of Mme Henri Vetch, is illustrated in Gustav Ecke, Chinese Domestic Furniture, Rutland, 1962, no. 101, pl. 125; and a larger pair, from the Reverend Richard Fabian collection, was sold in our New York rooms, 15th March 2016, lot 42.

A pair of massive huanghuali square-corner compound cabinets (sijiangui), Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century. Sold 346,000 USD at Sotheby's New York, The Reverend Richard Fabian collection, 15th March 2016, lot 42. Photo Sotheby's.

(Cf. my post: http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2016/02/24/33423779.htm)

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londres, 09 nov. 2016, 11:30 AM