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Lot Essay
Huangyangmu, or boxwood, is very rarely used in large pieces of furniture, as it is a small tree that grows extremely slowly and rarely to a size that can be used for anything other than inlay or small decorative items. The present bookcase is therefore an extremely rare example of huangyangmu being used on such a large scale and would undoubtedly have been highly prized at the time it was made.
An interesting example of a zitan daybed, which has inlaid huangyangmu panels similar to those found on the present bookcase, is illustrated by Wang Shixiang in Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1986, pp. 186-87, no. 125. The author was unable to identify the wood but it would appear to compare closely with the panels on the current bookcase.
A huanghuali bookcase of similar proportions and design, but without the addition of drawers, was sold at Christie's New York, 16 September 1999, lot 48.
Bookcases and open-shelf stands are referred to as shujia or shuge, the basic forms of which are discussed by Wang Shixiang in Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 82, D1-3.
An interesting example of a zitan daybed, which has inlaid huangyangmu panels similar to those found on the present bookcase, is illustrated by Wang Shixiang in Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1986, pp. 186-87, no. 125. The author was unable to identify the wood but it would appear to compare closely with the panels on the current bookcase.
A huanghuali bookcase of similar proportions and design, but without the addition of drawers, was sold at Christie's New York, 16 September 1999, lot 48.
Bookcases and open-shelf stands are referred to as shujia or shuge, the basic forms of which are discussed by Wang Shixiang in Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 82, D1-3.