A LARGE HUANGHUALI APOTHECARY CABINET (YAOGUI) WITH FOURTEEN DRAWERS, EARLY QING DYNASTY

A LARGE HUANGHUALI APOTHECARY CABINET (YAOGUI) WITH FOURTEEN DRAWERS, EARLY QING DYNASTY
China, 17th-18th century. The rectangular frame set with a pair of finely figured paneled doors fitted flush with the surface and opening to reveal a pair of smaller doors beneath three rows of three sets of drawers, enclosed by two smaller drawers on both sides and a single larger drawer beneath it. These two smaller doors open to an inner cabinet with a carved frame. Each drawer is fitted with elegant baitong pulls, the exterior with foliate door escutcheons with loose rectangular pulls, rectangular hinges, and loose ring handles set to the sides also made of baitong. The wood of an attractive grain and color with impressive 'ghost eyes' on the cabinet doors.
Provenance:
Tomlinson Antique House, Geylang, Singapore, before 1995. From a French private collection, acquired from the above and thence by descent. A copy of a Certificate of Antiquity from Tomlinson Antique House, with photos of the present lot and dating it to the 18th century, accompanies this lot. Tomlinson Antique House was established 1976 in Singapore and specializes in antique Chinese furniture and Asian antiquities.
Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age, showing old wear and traces of use, light surface scratches, natural age cracks and splits, small losses, tarnishing to the baitong fittings. Possibly with minor replacements, as expected from ancient Chinese furniture with an age of 250 years or more. Overall with a magnificent naturally grown patina, thus displaying exceptionally well.
Weight: 52 kg
Dimensions: Height 73 cm, Width 71.7 cm, Depth 39 cm
Cabinets of this size and form
are generally described as traveling bookcases if the interior contains shelves, and as apothecary chests if there are numerous drawers, as in the present example. The large size and luxurious hardwood render these forms quite heavy and not easy to move, and thus they are often described as table cabinets. In fact, the drawers could have been used to store a variety of things from treasured scholarly objects to cosmetics and accessories.
Expert's note:
See Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Dynasties, vol. I, Hong Kong, 1990, pp. 94-95, for a discussion on apothecary chests.
Literature comparison:
See a similar example illustrated by Wang Shixiang, Classic Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1986, pl. 159. Another example of smaller size is illustrated in Grace Wu, The Best of the Best, The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, vol. 2., Hong Kong, 2017, pp. 334-5. See also a related cabinet, a traveling bookcase with side posts and top rail, in the Minneapolis Museum of Art, illustrated in Robert D. Jacobsen with Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, 1999, pl. 70.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 20 March 2023, lot 87
Price: USD 120,075 or approx.
EUR 109,000
converted at the time of writing
Description: A rare huanghuali apothecary cabinet, yaogui, early Qing dynasty, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, also with fourteen drawers surrounding a central compartment with doors, and baitong mounts with similar pulls and hinges. Note the related size (74.9 x 60.7 x 35.5 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 21 September 2004, lot 15
Price: USD 77,675 or approx.
EUR 116,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine huanghuali apothecary cabinet, yaoxiang, 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form, huanghuali wood, and baitong mounts with similar side handles, pulls, and hinges. Note the related size (78.1 x 71.1 x 38.9 cm) and that the interior encloses twenty-eight drawers.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 702
Price: USD 68,750 or approx.
EUR 75,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A 'huanghuali' square-corner apothecary cabinet (yaoxiang), 17th/18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form, huanghuali wood, and mounts with similar side handles, pulls, and hinges. Note the related size (73.7 x 69.2 x 30.8 cm) and that the interior encloses sixteen drawers.
This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.
清代早期黃花梨藥櫃，十四個抽屜
中國，十七至十八世紀。
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