17TH/18TH CENTURY

The fangjiaogui, or square-corner cabinet, appears to be rarer than its counterpart, the yuanjiaogui, or tapered cabinet, which is most often constructed with rounded corners. The form of the present cabinet, with its attractive straight lines and pleasing aesthetic, has made it one of the most successful forms in Chinese furniture construction. One unusual, though very successful, variant evident on the present cabinet is the slightly protruding frame at the top on the front side only, as typically the frame is flush on all four sides. See Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, vol. II, Hong Kong, 1990, no. D33, for an example of the latter type.