Chinese Wardrobe Cabinet with 2 Drawers and 2 Doors

Round gold-painted medallions of boats and landscapes float across black doors.

This wardrobe cabinet with 2 drawers and 2 doors is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the late 18th or early 19th century. It is lacquered, painted & gilded 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. Upright black cabinet with two doors carrying four round gilt scenes and a central brass plate. Below, three round medallions with vases of flowers sit above two small drawers with metal pulls. It is 50.75 inches long, 25 deep and 76 high.

A cabinet that treats every panel as a tiny picture.