Chinese Wood Wardrobe: 4 Drawers, 8 Doors & Figural Lattice Panels

Door panels carved up top and a shaped apron below, on a tall cabinet.

This wardrobe is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the early 19th century. It is carved 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. Upper doors hold four carved panels with figures and scrolls, edged by narrow decorative strips. Lower doors are paneled and plain. A scalloped apron drops between tall, curved legs with scrolled feet. The finish is deep brown, glossy. It is 66 inches long, 25 deep and 96 high.

The top is busy and the bottom minds its manners.