A PAIR OF CARVED ZITAN 'DRAGON' CABINETS, KANGGUI QING DYNASTY

each of kanggui form, comprising a top square cabinet resting atop a rectangular cabinet and a further row of drawers, the upper shelf modelled with a pair of square hinged doors, each carved in varying levels of relief with a ferocious five-clawed dragon writhing sinuously against a ground of tumultuous waves within the key-fret-bordered panel, the lower cabinet of a slightly larger form with a pair of rectangular hinged doors, each similarly carved with a key-fret band enclosing a dragon soaring amidst crashing waves, all above a row of two drawers, each carved on the surface with a dragon and set with a curved metal pull, all supported on four square-section legs decorated with a panel carved with a pair of dragons contesting a central 'flaming pearl' ending with a shapely beaded edge, the edges bordered with key-fret bands, further decorated and reinforced with metal hinges detailed with further dragon motifs and door pulls in the form of a basket, the interior of the central cabinet divided into two tiers, the sides and reverse with sunken borders, the wood of a warm dark brown colour with characteristic gold flecks

Vigorously carved with ferocious scaly dragons among tumultuous waves, compact cabinets of this type are constructed of two matched cabinets stacked on top of each other and each with a pair of doors. This pair is known as kangui, as they were suitable for use at mat level or on the kang, a hollow brick platform where hot air is driven through to create a warm living space. Cabinets of this type, made of the precious fine-grained zitan wood, were used at court and by wealthy Chinese families to store clothing articles.

A pair of cabinets of similar size and design, from the collection of Robert H. Ellsworth, was sold in our New York rooms, 3rd May 1977, lot 24. See also a larger compound cabinet carved with dragons, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 211, together with a carved lacquer example, pl. 210.