Black Lacquer Wedding Cabinet From Shanxi -19th Century

This dramatic antique Chinese black lacquer wedding cabinet would make a great centerpiece to any room.

The design features scholarly symbols on the doors such as vases, ornaments and games boards. While the frame of the cabinet displays trailing floral paintwork with a landscape design at the bottom complete with swans and a sunset. The black lacquer surface is worn with age. Our restoration team has carefully consolidated and conserved the lacquer to avoid any further aging. 

This style of cabinet is known as a wedding cabinet and this particular piece is from a provincial area in Shanxi, Northern China. It is constructed from elm wood. The interior consists of a large interior space separated by a shelf with two drawers underneath. The bottom of the cabinet contains a lift-away hatch that conceals a further storage area at the bottom of the cabinet.

Lacquer cabinets were often given as wedding gifts - usually in pairs. Original pieces like this were not usually decorated on the sides and the better quality lacquer cabinets used elm wood. The lacquer is a resin made from the sap of the Rhus verniciflua tree. Lacquer has a long history in Chinese furniture and has been used for over 2000 years. Black lacquer is less commonly used than burgundy and red lacquers. Other colours such as green, blue, yellow and pink were not used and are only found in modern reproductions.

Please check the dimensions and measure the access to your home carefully before purchasing. Please get in touch if you require assistance with this and our trained team will guide you through your options.

From China

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