19th Century Chinese Tall and Narrow Cabinet

The darkly lacquered front of this 19th-century Chinese locking cabinet is the perfect canvas for a traditional bird-and-flower painting. Crafted of elmwood with mortise-and-tenon jo...

This lacquered display cabinet from Shanxi province was crafted in the mid-19th century using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery methods. The enclosed lower half was used for general storage and the open upper shelf was used to display precious objects such as vases, curios, or piles of books. The exterior is darkened by a black lacquer finish and hand-painted with charming decorative motifs, including bronze censers, flower vases, scrolls, and scholars' objects. Original brass hardware secures the doors, now richly aged with a smooth patina and subtle oxidation. Unusual for its smaller scale, we love this painted cabinet in a children's bedroom or playroom as an unexpected bookcase or toy chest...