Chinese Red Door Coffer, C. 1900

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This early 20th-century coffer from Shanxi province has a streamlined design and plenty of rustic appeal. Originally configured to open … Read more This early 20th-century coffer from Shanxi province has a streamlined design and plenty of rustic appeal. Originally configured to open from the top, the chest has been modified to open from the front by five rectangular panels converted into doors. A well-worn layer of black lacquer coats the cabinet's exterior, contrasted by a pop of bright, red-orange lacquer on one door.

The name of the cabinet calls out this feature with a nod to the abstract paintings of Mark Rothko (1903-1970), its color-blocked doors reminiscent of Rothko's rectangular forms of "pure color." See less