Chinese Black Lacquer & Gilt Chinoiserie Jewelry Chest with Carved Soapstone View Watchlist >
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Lot # G693
System ID # 30541941
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Chinese Black Lacquer & Gilt Chinoiserie Jewelry Chest with Carved Soapstone
A compact table cabinet in black lacquered wood, its gilt panels hand-painted with court beauties amid flowering prunus and bamboo, the raised details worked in carved and applied soapstone — robes, faces, and rockwork standing in low relief against the gold ground. The paired cabinet doors open on a set of five velvet-lined drawers, the interiors in red velvet with compartmented trays for rings and small jewelry. Doors are fitted with pierced brass hardware and heart-form drop pulls; the lower drawer carries a matching brass pull with an archaistic backplate.
Every visible surface earns the chinoiserie treatment — the removable framed top, both sides, and the drawer front all painted with figures, willow, and landscape vignettes in the export style. Drawer fronts feature carved fan-form recessed pulls. This decorative export cabinet type was produced through the mid-to-late 20th century for the Western market as a jewelry or trinket chest. The piece is unmarked.
CONDITION
Fair. Finish wear and loss throughout, with scuffing to the lacquer and rubbing to the gilt panels; some chipping to panel edges. One applied soapstone element is missing as shown on the drawer front. Key absent. All five drawers present and slide; velvet linings intact.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Overall: 13" H × 12" W × 8" D
- Drawers: 5, velvet-lined with compartment trays
- Construction: Lacquered wood, applied carved soapstone, brass hardware
- Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included
