Chinese Compound Shrine Cabinet with 2 Drawers & 2 Doors

Miniature temple roof sits on a shrine with gilded carving and a cabinet below.

This compound shrine cabinet with 2 drawers & 2 doors is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is elm wood. Collectors generally weigh aesthetics, age, condition, design, origin and provenance when judging antique furniture, though the article argues that scarcity ends up with the greatest influence on value. Here is a tall piece with a carved, gilded canopy roof, an open recessed niche with small columns, and a closed cabinet beneath with round lock plates. Curved cabriole-style feet finish the base. It is 36.5 inches long, 25 deep and 80.5 high.

Ornate up top, practical down below.