A good pair of Qing dynasty round-corner taper cabinets on stands are rare to find. The round-corner tapered cabinet, or yuanjiaogui (圓角櫃) is one of the most elegant designs in classical Chinese furniture. The shallow tapering shape has a timeless, almost contemporary feel which was so popular the design has changed very little since the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties.

This style of cabinet with long elongated brass hardware is from Fujian province in South China and constructed from jichimu, or chicken wing wood, a highly desirable hardwood. These cabinets likely date to the early 19th century.

Similar examples can be found in literature. Four jichimu round-corner taper cabinets from southern Fujian province in 'Identifying a Regional Style of Chinese Furniture,' by John Ang in the Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society, Autumn 1992, pages 54-57, figures. 1-4. 

Sold and priced as a pair.

Condition Report:

Restored, conserved & finished in our Wiltshire workshops. All the hardware is original to the piece. Both cabinets were originally lacquered and have been stripped in accordance with trends of the 20th century. 

Provenance & Auction Result Comparison:

Purchased from the UK art market. These can be compared with a similar yuanjiaogui cabinet on stand sold for €4,298 at Gallery Zacke, Austria (6th March 2021, lot 564). Also compare with a pair of jichimu side cabinets (missing the stands) sold for £23,750 at Bonhams London (17th May 2012, lot 164). Compare also with a near identical yunjiaogui, missing the stand, sold for €10,000 at Christie’s Paris in Art d’Asie on (13th June 2013, lot 16).

From China

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