A SMALL HUANGHUALI TAPERING ROUND-CORNER CABINET, YUANJIAOGUI 17th/18th century
THE PROPERTY OF A LADY 女士藏品
A SMALL HUANGHUALI TAPERING ROUND-CORNER CABINET, YUANJIAOGUI
17th/18th century
The floating panel top set into a standard mitre, mortise and tenon, tongue and groove frame with rounded corners, the four main stiles gently splayed and double-tenoned into the top, rounded on the exterior edges, each door inset with a well-figured panel, the interior fitted with two shelves, the door frame members and the central stile fitted with two curved rectangular metal plates with a lock receptacle. 72cm (28 2/8in) high x 50cm (19 5/8in) wide x 28cm (11in) deep.
十七世紀/十八世紀 黃花梨圓角櫃
Provenance: Klas E Böök (1909-1980), Sweden, acquired during his service as Swedish Ambassador to Beijing, 1956-1961, and thence by descent
来源： Klas E Böök (1909-1980)，瑞典，在擔任瑞典駐北京大使期間獲得，1956-1961，並由後人保存迄今。
A Swedish diplomat and civil servant, Mr Böök first had a career in banking, that led up to the position of Governor of the Swedish National Bank from 1948 to 1951. His diplomatic career began when he was appointed head of the Commercial Department of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and envoy from 1947 to 1948. He was Minister in Ottawa from 1951 to 1956, Ambassador in Beijing from 1956 to 1961, and also accredited as envoy to Bangkok from 1956 to 1959. Böök was the Swedish Ambassador to New Delhi, India, and also accredited to Colombo and Kathmandu from 1961 to 1965 and in Bern from 1965 to 1972. He had special assignments for the Swedish Foreign Ministry from 1972 to 1975.
The present cabinet epitomises the elegant design of classical Chinese furniture, achieved through a harmonious blend of flat surfaces and rounded elements. Particularly noteworthy are the four recessed stiles, gently sloping outward from the top corners, and the slight outward splay of the four square legs, conveying a sense of upward movement and adding to the overall aesthetic appeal of the cabinet.
Following the Ming tradition, furniture was typically chosen from illustrated books at the cabinetmaker's workshop and tailored to specific proportions. This practice allowed for the emergence of distinct personal preferences in stylistic elements. The slight outward splay of the four square legs conveys a sense of upward movement, dynamism and vitality.
Round-corner cabinets are one of four distinct styles of cabinets with shelves crafted by Chinese furniture artisans, alongside open-shelf stands jiage, cabinets with open shelves liangegui, and square-corner cabinets fangjiaogui; see Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, vol.1, pp.82 and 85.
Historically, the tapered cabinet evolved from the form of large chests with panelled doors, which were utilised for storing silk cloths during the Song period; see S.Handler, Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, Berkeley, 2001, p.244, pl.15.5. These cabinets, such as the present examples, later found a place in scholars' studios, where they were used to store books, scrolls and writing instruments. A depiction in a hanging scroll from the Ming dynasty illustrates a scholar standing beside a small cabinet, poised to select a work from the shelves stocked with books and scrolls; see L.Lin, Catalogue to the Special Exhibition of Furniture in Paintings, Taipei, 1996, pl.9.
Compare with a similar small huanghuali round-corner tapered cabinet, Ming dynasty, illustrated by G.Wu Bruce, Two Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2010, p.220. A pair of related huanghuali, burlwood and fruitwood cabinets, 17th/18th century, was sold at Bonhams London, 13 May 2021, lot 17.
Bid on this lot
THE PROPERTY OF A LADY 女士藏品
A SMALL HUANGHUALI TAPERING ROUND-CORNER CABINET, YUANJIAOGUI
17th/18th century
The floating panel top set into a standard mitre, mortise and tenon, tongue and groove frame with rounded corners, the four main stiles gently splayed and double-tenoned into the top, rounded on the exterior edges, each door inset with a well-figured panel, the interior fitted with two shelves, the door frame members and the central stile fitted with two curved rectangular metal plates with a lock receptacle. 72cm (28 2/8in) high x 50cm (19 5/8in) wide x 28cm (11in) deep.
十七世紀/十八世紀 黃花梨圓角櫃
Provenance: Klas E Böök (1909-1980), Sweden, acquired during his service as Swedish Ambassador to Beijing, 1956-1961, and thence by descent
来源： Klas E Böök (1909-1980)，瑞典，在擔任瑞典駐北京大使期間獲得，1956-1961，並由後人保存迄今。
A Swedish diplomat and civil servant, Mr Böök first had a career in banking, that led up to the position of Governor of the Swedish National Bank from 1948 to 1951. His diplomatic career began when he was appointed head of the Commercial Department of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and envoy from 1947 to 1948. He was Minister in Ottawa from 1951 to 1956, Ambassador in Beijing from 1956 to 1961, and also accredited as envoy to Bangkok from 1956 to 1959. Böök was the Swedish Ambassador to New Delhi, India, and also accredited to Colombo and Kathmandu from 1961 to 1965 and in Bern from 1965 to 1972. He had special assignments for the Swedish Foreign Ministry from 1972 to 1975.
The present cabinet epitomises the elegant design of classical Chinese furniture, achieved through a harmonious blend of flat surfaces and rounded elements. Particularly noteworthy are the four recessed stiles, gently sloping outward from the top corners, and the slight outward splay of the four square legs, conveying a sense of upward movement and adding to the overall aesthetic appeal of the cabinet.
Following the Ming tradition, furniture was typically chosen from illustrated books at the cabinetmaker's workshop and tailored to specific proportions. This practice allowed for the emergence of distinct personal preferences in stylistic elements. The slight outward splay of the four square legs conveys a sense of upward movement, dynamism and vitality.
Round-corner cabinets are one of four distinct styles of cabinets with shelves crafted by Chinese furniture artisans, alongside open-shelf stands jiage, cabinets with open shelves liangegui, and square-corner cabinets fangjiaogui; see Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, vol.1, pp.82 and 85.
Historically, the tapered cabinet evolved from the form of large chests with panelled doors, which were utilised for storing silk cloths during the Song period; see S.Handler, Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, Berkeley, 2001, p.244, pl.15.5. These cabinets, such as the present examples, later found a place in scholars' studios, where they were used to store books, scrolls and writing instruments. A depiction in a hanging scroll from the Ming dynasty illustrates a scholar standing beside a small cabinet, poised to select a work from the shelves stocked with books and scrolls; see L.Lin, Catalogue to the Special Exhibition of Furniture in Paintings, Taipei, 1996, pl.9.
Compare with a similar small huanghuali round-corner tapered cabinet, Ming dynasty, illustrated by G.Wu Bruce, Two Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2010, p.220. A pair of related huanghuali, burlwood and fruitwood cabinets, 17th/18th century, was sold at Bonhams London, 13 May 2021, lot 17.
