Lot Essay
This present cabinet delicately combines the two lacquering techniques qiangjin (incised lines filled with gold) and tianqi (coloured lacquer). The qiangjin technique was developed as early as the Wu Kingdom (AD 222-252) of the Three Dynasties period (see box excavated in 1986 at Ma'anshan City, Anhui), widely adopted on lacquer wares from the Song dynasty, and was used on Imperial lacquer wares with dragon motifs during the Ming dynasty. While the earliest time when these two techniques were first used together on lacquer wares was unknown, a number of qiangjin and tianqi lacquer wares such as boxes and trays were made during the Jiajing and Wanli periods.
A Wanli marked and dated cabinet of such large size is however extrememly rare. Compare to a magnificent qiangjin and tianqi cabinet, dated dingwei year of the Wanli period (corresonding to 1607), illustrated in Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, p. 202, pl. 172.
A Wanli marked and dated cabinet of such large size is however extrememly rare. Compare to a magnificent qiangjin and tianqi cabinet, dated dingwei year of the Wanli period (corresonding to 1607), illustrated in Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, p. 202, pl. 172.