Red & Black Cartouche Stacking Cabinet

This grand two-piece stacking cabinet dates to the late 19th century and exemplifies the balanced proportions and ornate decoration that defines Qing-dynasty furniture. Crafted of elm (yumu) with mortise-and-tenon joinery, the sloping-stile cabinet has a tapered, A-frame silhouette and overhung top, comprised of two separate compartments stacked atop one another. The cabinet is decorated with gilt brushwork atop a finish of red and black lacquer, now beautifully faded for an antique patina.

The tall cabinet has three sets of double doors, each painted with a different picturesque scene. Framed within cartouche borders of red lacquer, the gilt paintings include bird-and-flower pairings on the lower doors, "hundred treasure" vignettes of precious objects on the middle doors, and courtly affairs on the upper, possibly of historic or literary reference. Secured with simple brass dagger-and-pull hardware, the doors open to reveal spacious interiors with two shelves and two shallow drawers.

Additional Dimensions:
Opening: 33.5"W x 21"D x 19"H