HOTUNG | 何東 The Personal Collection of the late Sir Joseph Hotung | Part II: Evening

HOTUNG | 何東 The Personal Collection of the late Sir Joseph Hotung | Part II: Evening

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 11. An impressive pair of large huanghuali and camphor wood compound cabinets (Sijiangui), Late Ming dynasty | 晚明 黃花梨拼樟木四件櫃一對.

An impressive pair of large huanghuali and camphor wood compound cabinets (Sijiangui), Late Ming dynasty | 晚明 黃花梨拼樟木四件櫃一對

Restricted SpeciesUK: Greenford Park Warehouse

Auction Closed

December 7, 05:45 PM GMT

Estimate

200,000 - 300,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

An impressive pair of large huanghuali and camphor wood compound cabinets (Sijiangui),

Late Ming dynasty

晚明 黃花梨拼樟木四件櫃一對


each cabinet of rectangular form, comprising a smaller top cabinet resting on a larger bottom one, the top cabinet of miter, mortise, tenon, tongue-and-grooved flush floating-panel construction with four square uprights, the bottom cabinet similarly constructed with rectangular floating panels set within a narrow frame, the side panels on both the top and bottom cabinets of the same miter, mortise, tenon, tongue-and-grooved, flush, floating-panel construction, below the doors of the main cabinet a wide rectangular panel above plain aprons, the interior of the top cabinet with one removable shelf, the bottom with two shelves and two short drawers, with baitong circular hinges, the similarly surface-mounted central circular plates with three openings for the lock receptacles and shaped door pulls

268.5 by 52.2 by 139.5 cm, 105¾ and 20½ by 54⅞ in.

(4)

This lot contains endangered species. Sotheby's recommends that buyers check with their own government regarding any importation requirements prior to placing a bid. For example, US regulations restrict or prohibit the import of certain items to protect wildlife conservation. Please note that Sotheby's will not assist buyers with the shipment of this lot to the US. A buyer's inability to export or import these lots cannot justify a delay in payment or sale cancellation. 此編號含有瀕臨絕種物料。蘇富比建議買家在投標之前，先理解有關地方政府的入口限制。如美國為保護野生動物而對有關材質所實行的出入口規條及限制。蘇富比將不會協助此編號運往美國的運輸。買家無權因為未能得到出入口許可而取消拍賣及延遲付款。

Eastern Pacific Co. (Hei Hung-Lu), Hong Kong, 10th January 1983. 


東泰商行（黑洪祿），香港，1983年1月10日

This remarkable pair of wardrobes, incorporating huanghuali with camphor wood, reflects the combination of elegance, simplicity and functionality that defines classical Chinese furniture. While huanghuali was appreciated for its beautiful grain pattern and warm colour, camphor wood was often used for cupboards and chests for its insect-repellent properties. Composed of a wide square-corner cabinet and a smaller chest placed on top, these massive cabinets, known as sijiangui (four-part wardrobes), were made in pairs for storing garments in the home of wealthy families.

 

Displayed in inner reception halls or kept in the women’s private quarters, their sheer size would have created an impression of awe. In a passage from the famous 18th-century novel Honglou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber), Granny Liu, an elderly country woman describes seeing for the first time the furniture of the illustrious Jia family: "They say that 'great families live in great houses' and truly when I first went into Your Ladyship's apartment yesterday and saw those great chests and cupboards and tables and beds, they took my breath away. That great wardrobe of yours is higher and wider than one of our rooms back home".

 

A related pair of huanghuali compound cabinets, slightly taller but narrower than the present pair, its pulls with openwork designs, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th November 2017, lot 8113.