A MASSIVE IMPERIAL ZITAN CABINET

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY

细节

A MASSIVE IMPERIAL ZITAN CABINET
QING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY

Of an impressive size, the pair of hinged doors crisply and deeply carved through the solid zitan panels with a multitude of bats in flight amidst thickly scrolling clouds, repeated as a pattern on the apron, the sides of the cabinet with naturalistic scenes, on one side with an egret standing in a pond growing large stalks of lotus flowers and leaves, and on the other with birds and insects in flight and perched on a flowering tree growing beside orchids and peonies, the original lock and gilt-bronze fittings finely beaten and chased with the same design of bats amid clouds
75 5/8 in. (192 cm.) high, 57 1/8 in. (145 cm.) wide, 25 1/4 in. (64 cm.) deep

来源

Purchased from Charlotte Horstman, Hong Kong in the early 1970s

拍品专文

A smaller zitan cabinet of similar form, carved with bats and auspicious objects amidst thick cloud-scrolls, from the Qing court collection, is illustrated in Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, 2002, pl. 206.

The present cabinet is exceptional, not only because of its large size requiring a substantial amount of the precious zitan wood to be used in its construction, but also because of its superb carved decoration that combines the stylised 'bats and cloud' design with more naturalistic scenes on the sides. Compare these scenes with panels on a pair of zitan cabinets where similar compositions are found as the main decoration on the doors, cf. Tian Jiaqing, Notable Features of Main Schools of Ming and Qing Furniture, pp. 80-81. These cabinets are also designed with bats and clouds on the gilt-metal mounts, but these are incised and not as elaborate as the relief cast designs on the present lot.