Chinese Provincial Orange-Lacquered Elm Sideboard, Late Qing / Republic Period View Watchlist >
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Lot # F1001
System ID # 29721447
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Chinese Provincial Orange-Lacquered Elm Sideboard, Late Qing / Republic Period
A northern Chinese provincial side cabinet in solid elm, built circa 1880–1930 with mortise-and-tenon joinery throughout and two dovetailed drawers over a pair of hinged doors. The orange-lacquered exterior carries a heavy crazing and crackle pattern across every face — the look of an aged lacquer worked over a chalk/gesso ground, the type of surface that ages into the warm, broken texture collectors look for. he drawers carry coin-form brass ring pulls with legible Chinese characters; the doors meet at a large circular brass plate with butterfly latch and original iron pin lock.
Behind the doors is a fixed interior shelf dividing the cabinet into upper and lower storage. The back panel is unfinished solid elm planking, left bare in the provincial manner; block feet and a plain straight apron keep the form honest and undecorated. Cabinets of this kind served as everyday household storage in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Hebei workshops — valued now for the warmth of the color and the directness of the construction.
Significance & Rarity
The intact original door hardware — circular brass plate, butterfly latch, and functioning iron pin lock — is a detail that separates a survivor from a refitted piece. Combined with hand-cut dovetails and through mortise-and-tenon joinery, the cabinet shows the craftsmanship of a regional workshop rather than later machine production. Comparable late Qing / Republic provincial elm cabinets in orange or red lacquer trade in the mid tier across the major platforms, with original-surface examples commanding the upper end.
CONDITION
Good and sturdy. Surfaces show scratches, chips, scuffing, and heavy age-appropriate crazing throughout, with a chip to the rear left foot and minor losses along edges and corners.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Overall: 34 1/2" H × 49 1/4" W × 23" D
- Drawer Depth: 2.75"
- Interior Shelf Heights: 10" and 8.5"
- Material: Solid elm
- Construction: Mortise and tenon; dovetailed drawers
- Hardware: Circular brass door plate with butterfly latch and iron pin lock; coin-form brass ring drawer pulls
