A HUANGHUALI BOOKCASE EARLY QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY |

well constructed with four square-sectioned supporting members, the bookcase divided into four sections with each shelf flanked on the shorter sides with lattice formed by square-section struts of varying lengths, the reverse with a back panel, the legs further joined by four stylised humpbacked stretchers with scrolling ends

Peter Lai, 11th January 1995.

The entire bookshelf is made of Huanghuali and in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Bookcases were essential pieces of furniture in the scholar's studio and library, used both for storing books and displaying antiques. In Ming and Qing society, bookcases and their contents became symbolic of their owner's refinement and elevated lifestyle. Their importance is inferred in a passage of Zun sheng bajian [Eight discourses on the art of living], written by Gao Lian (1573-1620) and first published in 1591, where he mentions that shujia (bookcases) "should be used for placing one's favourite books, which could be Confucian classics, poems, Buddhist scriptures, or for important medical literature and calligraphy. At leisure, books provided not only enjoyment, but food for life". Huanghuali bookcases with lattice on two sides are rare and no other closely related bookcase appears to have been published. Compare a taller huanghuali bookcase lacking the lattice and the back panels, sold at Christie's New York, 16th October 2001, lot 259; and a zitan bookcase with lattice on three sides, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Classic Chinese Furniture, London, 1986, pl. 133.