Lot 3124. A magnificent and extremely rare huanghuali square-corner display cabinet, Late Ming dynasty; 77 3/4 in. (197.4 cm.) high, 43 1/8 in. (109.5 cm.) wide, 19 5/8 in. (50 cm.) deep. Estimate HKD 14,000,000 - HKD 18,000,000. Price realised HKD 16,925,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019. 

Of massive rectangular form, the cabinet of two sections is constructed from panels ofhuanghuali with beautiful graining and rich amber tone. The upper section is enclosed by ‘ice-crackled’ lattice work panels, and the front removable panel doors open to reveal a single shelf with a removable centre stile. The section below has removable rectangular panel doors fitted with also removable centre stile and the doors open to reveal the shelved interior with two drawers. The legs are of rectangular section and are joined by curvilinear aprons and spandrels at the bottom.

Exhibited: The Guimet Museum of Asian Art, Ming: l’age d’or du mobilier chinois - The Golden Age of Chinese Furniture, Paris, 2003, Catalogue, p.198-201, no.64
Beijing Palace Museum, Ming Furniture in the Forbidden City, Hong Kong, 2006, Catalogue, p.206, no.59

Note: Of massive rectangular form, the two-sectioned cabinet is constructed from huanghuali panels of beautiful graining and rich amber tone. The upper section is enclosed by ‘ice-crackled’ lattice work panels, and the front removable panel doors open to reveal a single shelf with a removable centre stile. The lower section below has removable rectangular panel doors also fitted with a removable centre stile and the doors open to reveal the shelved interior with two drawers. The legs are of rectangular section and are joined by curvilinear aprons and spandrels along the bottom.

The unparalleled design of the of the openwork decorating the sides of the upper section of the cabinet was inspired by lattice panels decorating the greatly admired gardens of Southern China as illustrated in one of the earliest publications of Chinese garden-scape designs known as the Yuanye. Dated to 1631, the Yuanye was published by the famous garden architect Ji Cheng (1582-1642) who was active from Wanli to Chongzhen periods in Southern China. This published masterpiece of garden design literature combined architectural principles and decorative features through its detailed descriptions and illustrations. The manuscript greatly influenced the designs of furniture in Southern China. 

The openwork design on the panels of the cabinet is known as binglieshi, ‘ice-crackled’ decoration in the Yuanye (fig. 1), where it is described as ‘the best design for a window panel for the simple yet most elegant lines. The arrangement of this pattern is as versatile as a painting’. This clever design can maximise a dramatic visual effect from the minimum use of expensive huanghuali wood. When light is shone on the openwork panels, the projecting shadows produce an intricate network of reflected light.

Elegant and finely decorated huanghuali display cabinets with latticework are extremely rare. It is exceptionally remarkable to find such an ingeniously designed cabinet as the current example which seemingly has a dual-function with its removable front door panels as well as its removable central stile. The upper unit is lockable so that when the door panels and stile are installed it is transforms into a neatly formed closed cabinet hiding the contents within. However, if the panels and the stile are removed, precious objects could be stored on the exposed shelves such as those displayed in a typical liang’ge gui, square-corner display cabinet, for example the pair of display cabinets from the Dr Sam and Annette Mandel Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2018.

No other example of this type of cabinet appears to have been published. A drawing of a related cabinet constructed entirely of openwork lattice panels is illustrated by Wang Shixiang in Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1990, p. 145, D11. The published cabinet is said to be made of softwood and was more likely for domestic use in the storage of food as the lattice-work permits ventilation. Hardwood cabinets, however, were more likely for the storage of books and small objects as mentioned by Wang Shixiang, refer to ibid., p. 142-149 for illustrations of various types of general display cabinets.