Antique Chinese Red Lacquer Scholar’s Display Cabinet With Painted Interior

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This antique Chinese red lacquer display cabinet carries with it the poetry of a scholar’s retreat and the quiet dignity … Read more This antique Chinese red lacquer display cabinet carries with it the poetry of a scholar’s retreat and the quiet dignity of a refined household. Its form is both commanding and intimate: a towering frame softened by delicately pierced fretwork, each curve and tendril hand-carved in the late Qing to early Republic tradition. Two finely modeled guardian lions—symbols of vigilance and prosperity—rest watchfully atop small drawers, their presence both ornamental and protective.

Behind the open display bay, time has softened but not erased a rare treasure: an original hand-painted scenic back panel. Faint yet lyrical, it depicts figures among trees and pavilions, a vision of harmony between man and nature rendered in mineral pigments upon wood. Below, drawers and paneled doors offer storage in balance with beauty, joined by traditional mortise-and-tenon construction and finished in layers of red lacquer, worn to a patina that speaks of generations past.

This cabinet is not merely a piece of furniture but a vessel of cultural history, once destined for a scholar’s studio or dowry chamber, designed to showcase porcelain, calligraphy tools, or treasured curiosities. Its presence today resonates with the same quiet authority: a marriage of artistry and utility, poetry and permanence.

Measurements: 75.5"H x 43.25" x 18.375" / 2 open shelves / 2 drawers 18.5" x 15.75" / inclosed 2 door cabinet 21.5"H x 41"W x 16"D

Weight: approx. 115 lb

Origin: China

Age: 1880-1910 See less