Black Lacquer Shanxi Wedding Cabinet, 1890s

This beautiful Shanxi Wedding Cabinet is a classic example of the furniture used to furnish a bride’s dowry in Shanxi province during the early twentieth century. It features the original black lacquer finish paired with classic paintings in pale creams and pinks that were once more vivid. These motifs include lillies, other flowers, and, on the right side, a pheasant – a bird which was often used as a symbol of beauty and luck. The doors are held in place with wooden dowels rather than metal hinges, creating a larger, uninterrupted surface for the artwork.

The bottom panel of the cabinet showcases paintings that, though now faint and worn, feature diverse scholarly items, like a flower vase set in the middle. The frame of the doors displays symbols like stylized dragons and long life circles, though more visible at the top, most likely due to more recent retouching. Fresh hardware on the door replaces what may have been lost in subsequent years or removed for smelting purposes during the Great Leap Forward. It contains two shelves that can be taken out, as well as a board at the bottom which can be removed to access the area behind the lower panel. Slightly slimmer in size than other comparable cabinets, it can be a stunning focal point in the living room or offer a unique storage option for the bedroom.