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Lot Essay
The present cabinet is exceptional, not only because of its size requiring a substantial amount of the precious zitan wood to be used in its construction, but also because of its superb carved decoration of dragons. This large cabinet, originally the upper part of a compound cabinet, has two front doors, each installed on either side with gilt-bronze plates which are decorated with dragons amongst clouds and waves. The doorpulls, on the other hand, are decorated in low relief with bats and chimes.
This cabinet is notable for its richly carved zitan panels of dragons rising from tumultuous waves against a dense cloud ground. Such imagery was historically popular among, and exclusive to, members of the imperial family, thus placing the present cabinet in the highest class of Chinese furniture. The exceptional high relief and complex composition of the panels are comparable with a large zitan cabinet, similarly decorated with dragon and cloud designs, pictured in situ in the bedroom behind the Yangxin dian (Hall of Mental Cultivation), illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 249. See a large cabinet with four zitan panels decorated with similar dragons sold in Sotheby's Paris, 15 December 2011, lot 35 and another zitan top chest, possibly a match pair to our present cabinet, of exactly the same size and decoration, dated to the Qianlong reign, sold in Sotheby's Paris, 12 June 2018, lot 144.
This cabinet is notable for its richly carved zitan panels of dragons rising from tumultuous waves against a dense cloud ground. Such imagery was historically popular among, and exclusive to, members of the imperial family, thus placing the present cabinet in the highest class of Chinese furniture. The exceptional high relief and complex composition of the panels are comparable with a large zitan cabinet, similarly decorated with dragon and cloud designs, pictured in situ in the bedroom behind the Yangxin dian (Hall of Mental Cultivation), illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 249. See a large cabinet with four zitan panels decorated with similar dragons sold in Sotheby's Paris, 15 December 2011, lot 35 and another zitan top chest, possibly a match pair to our present cabinet, of exactly the same size and decoration, dated to the Qianlong reign, sold in Sotheby's Paris, 12 June 2018, lot 144.