A MASSIVE HUANGHUALI AND HUALI COMPOUND CABINET, SIJIANGUICHINA, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Known as sijiangui, 'four-part wardrobes', these compound cabinets were generally made in pairs. Garments and large items would have been stored in the lower cabinets, while smaller items would have been kept in the top chests often requiring the use of a ladder due to their massive size.
For a similar pair in huanghuali with plain aprons, dated to the late Ming dynasty, see R. H. Ellsworth et. al., Chinese Furniture: One Hundred Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection, vol. I, New York, 1996, p. 189, no. 73.
See also a very similar compound cabinet sold in our New York Rooms, 17 September 2008, lot 165.