λ A RARE AND FINE PAIR OF ANGLO-CHINESE HUANGHUALI BUREAU CABINETS

λ A RARE AND FINE PAIR OF ANGLO-CHINESE HUANGHUALI BUREAU CABINETS QIANLONG PERIOD, C.1750-60 each with a dentil moulded cornice, above a pair of doors inset with bevelled mirrored panels, within a carved slip, enclosing two adjustable shelves and two drawers, above a hinged fall revealing nine drawers and five pigeonholes, above four long graduated drawers and bracket feet, with paktong escutcheons, hinges and handles, some of the drawer linings and pigeonholes with Chinese character marks (2) 193.5cm high, 120cm wide, 57cm deep Provenance By repute, these cabinets were purchased from Christie's by the celebrated Portuguese interior designer Duarte Pinto Coelho in the mid 1970s. They were then acquired by the current vendor in Barcelona in 2014. Catalogue Note These fine bureau cabinets were constructed in China, probably Canton or Macau for an English client and possibly ordered for an East India Company official. They are made of solid huanghuali, a highly prized timber native to Asia. Huanghuali (Dalbergia odorifera) literally translates as 'yellow flowering pearwood' which is a member of the rosewood family. It was predominately found on the island of Hainan in the South China Sea and was the wood of choice for the Emperor and the elite during the Ming and Qing dynasties. These cabinets are based on an English prototype but constructed in an entirely Chinese way, in-particularly with the use of solid timbers. A very similar near pair of cabinets, possibly from the same workshop, were sold in these rooms, Furniture, Works of Art & Clocks, 9th January 2020, lot 169 for £112,500 (including fees). Literature For a discussion of 18th century Chinese Export furniture and a related bureau cabinet in the collection of Richard Milhender, see Carl. S. Crossman, The Decorative Arts of the China Trade, pp.220-237, pl.79. Read more »