Chinese Two Door Screen Set with Cracked Ice Motif, Framed

Two tall doors with lattice windows up top and a plank-simple lower half.

This framed two door screen set with cracked ice motif is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the mid 19th century. It is elm wood. Many Chinese antiques are now returning to China through auction houses and foreign dealers, as Chinese buyers actively purchase older pieces back, which the article describes as reclaiming their heritage. Reddish brown cabinet with a projecting flat top and a pair of doors. The upper panels hold a cracked-ice style open lattice, the lower panels are plain boards, and a bar latch crosses the center. Flat block feet extend forward. It is 70.5 inches long and 93 high.

Plain below, fancy above, and balanced about it.