17TH/18TH CENTURY

The present cabinet is slightly unusual, as the side frame of the hat chest is recessed from its base frame. Typically on cabinets of this type the frame is flush. However, variations of this type are known. See, for example, the huanghuali compound cabinet and hat chest of similar construction, although of more squat form, illustrated by G. Ecke in Chinese Domestic Furniture, Vermont and Tokyo, 1962, p. 134, no. 106.