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Lot Essay
The fangjiaogui, or square-corner cabinet, appears less frequently its counterpart, the yuanjiaogui, or tapered cabinet, which is most often constructed with rounded corners. The low proportions of the present cabinets might suggest that they were originally used on a kang or similar platform, which would have elevated them. A pair of smaller related jichimu cabinets is illustrated by Grace Wu Bruce in Chan Chair and Qin Bench: The Dr. S.Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture II, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 128-29, no. 35, where the author notes that cabinets of this smaller height were placed on the kang. A huanghuali cabinet of similar form is illustrated by Wang Shixiang in Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, p. 157, no. D35.
Of particular note on the present cabinets is the extensive use of huanghuali, which is found on all sides, including the top, and which would have made the pair quite costly, even at their time of manufacture.
Of particular note on the present cabinets is the extensive use of huanghuali, which is found on all sides, including the top, and which would have made the pair quite costly, even at their time of manufacture.