Shaanxi Cabinet with Dragon Carvings

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Description

This charming old cabinet was made during the mid-nineteenth century in Shaanxi province, northern China in a style distinctive to … Read more This charming old cabinet was made during the mid-nineteenth century in Shaanxi province, northern China in a style distinctive to furniture produced within the region, including thick rounded frames and ornate carvings. It has a long single drawer which is beautifully decorated with relief carvings of flowers and leaves and to the side are wonderful front spandrels that taper down to the cabinet's feet, also in carved relief, showing long, intertwining dragons.
Traces of paintings on the door panels are still visible, each with a circular format. The original colour and finish are now worn - once bright red panels are much softer tones with now muted black frames and an extended top surface with a wonderful patina adding a real sense of history and character.
Originally it would have been used to store valuables and personal possessions, with the metal fixings over the drawers and doors enabling it to be secured. See less