Late 17th century Chinese export double door cabinet, made in black lacquered exotic wood decorated with brightly coloured scenes. The gilt, smooth copper fittings – shaped as rúyì heads reminiscent of the língzhī, sacred Chinese mushroom of immortality (Ganoderma lucidum) that conveys the fulfilment of all wishes - comprise of three pairs of hinges, decorative corner pieces, large oval escutcheon and inner drawer pull rings.

On the cabinet front, a large scene characterized by river view with bridge and facing riverbank buildings with figures, probably characters loaned from traditional Chinese tales. On the top panel a large rocky landscape with buildings by a lake. Both compositions are framed by colourful borders of foliage scrolls and flowers. The lateral and back unframed panels feature small perforated rocks, similar to Chinese scholar’s rocks, gōngshí from Lake Taihu, a porous limestone from the foot of Dongting Mountain in Suzhou. On the left hand side panel, alongside the gōngshí, large, full blown tree peonies - Paeonia suffruticosa - known as mǔdān, the Queen of Flowers, associated with royalty, prosperity, wealth and honour, and Chinese plum flowers - Prunus mume - symbols of beauty, purity and longevity, with a pair of birds that reinforce the matrimonial nature of this cabinet. On the right hand side, small shrub peonies, a large red chrysanthemum, alluding to Autumn and longevity, and white Yulan magnolias - Magnolia denudate - known as yùlánhuā, literally “jade lily”, native to central and eastern China and symbol of purity; a pair of birds perched on the magnolia branches complete this elevation that also features a large gōngshí rock. The back section features flowering plants alongside a gōngshí.

The cabinet inner structure reveals an arrangement of ten drawer fronts of landscapes, rocky outcrops and buildings decorative compositions. The inner door surfaces are brightly decorated with vases holding the same flowers seen on the outer elevations – three peonies and plum flowers in one, and chrysanthemum, shrub peonies and magnolias in the other. These vases, archaic Chinese bronze vessels known as gū, correspond to a common bronze vessel form from the Shang Dynasty, designed for wine drinking in ritual libations. Of square section they are supported on splayed feet rising to a bulging mid-section surmounted by broad flaring mouths.

Chinese cabinet s made for exporting, such as this particular example, were much sought after in late 17th century Europe. Following an ancient prototype known in China as yīyàoxiāng, literally “apothecary chest”, they were characterised by different sized inner drawers and one or two front doors, and used for storing all kinds of objects.[1] Export lacquerware production was mainly based in the Guangzhou region, better known to Western merchants as Canton, in southwestern China Guangdong Province. Some extant examples feature carved or engraved lacquered decoration, while others include oil painted motifs. Their broad appeal led to them being copied in Europe, as cabinets in the oriental taste, but using instead locally available varnishes and pigments that simulated the Asian lacquers, in a process that became known in English as “japanning” and in Portugal as “acharoado”, from charão, the Portuguese version of the Chinese word qīyào or “painted lacquer”.[2]

Hugo Miguel Crespo

Centre for History, University of Lisbon

Bibliography:

CLUNAS, Craig (ed.), Chinese Export Art and Design (cat.), London, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1987.

WANG Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture. Ming and early Qing Dynasties, vol. 1, Hong Kong, Art Media Resources, 1990.

[1] Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture. Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Vol. 1, Hong Kong, Art Media Resources, 1990, pp. 94-95.

[2] Craig Clunas (ed.), Chinese Export Art and Design (cat.), London, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1987, pp. 80-95.