Chinese Apothecary Cabinet with 30 Drawers

Towering wall of tiny drawers, each one wearing its own little pull.

This apothecary cabinet with 30 drawers is from Hebei Province, China, and dates to the early 19th century. It is lacquered elm wood. Tibetans were traditionally semi-nomadic and owned few personal furnishings, so most Tibetan furniture stood in monasteries, and some of it was carted over the Himalayas to India as monasteries were destroyed. The surface is a patchy, red-brown color with darker chips and scrapes. Two columns of narrow drawers stacked in tall rows, each with a small metal pull. Boxy overall, with a plain flat top and no visible feet. It is 43 inches long, 15.75 deep and 64 high.

The ultimate in organization, or in secrets.