Chinese Wardrobe with 2 Drawers and 2 Doors

Glossy as strong tea, this double-door wardrobe wears one round metal plate for decoration.

This wardrobe with 2 drawers and 2 doors is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is lacquered elm wood. Once China slowly opened to visiting diplomats and businessmen, a trickle of antique furniture leaving the country became a flood that lasted through the 1980s, the 1990s and into the early 2000s. Two tall doors with raised panel framing meet at a circular metal lock plate. Straight sides, a flat top and short block legs give it a plain, sturdy outline. The surface is a deep brown with a high sheen. It is 49.5 inches long, 21.5 deep and 81 high.

Dignified, dark, and unbothered by the passing years.