Chinese Prayer Cabinet with 5 Drawers and 2 Doors

Dark hutch with open shelves, a row of small drawers, and painted doors below.

This prayer cabinet with 5 drawers and 2 doors is from Qinghai Province, China, and dates to the mid 19th century. It is lacquered & painted pine 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. Notable is a tall case with two open shelves and a curved side profile above a row of small drawers. Two lower doors and side panels carry faded painted decoration on dark ground. The legs are short and square. It is 52.75 inches long, 16 deep and 79 high.

Shelves for show, doors for mystery.