40 | A PAIR OF LAQUER CABINETS WITH INLAID DECORATION Kangxi period 1662-1722 AD China Inlaid with a rich variety of materials including mother of pearl, stained ivory, wood, cinnabar lacquer, abalone shell, horn, agate, amethyst and glass - the dark brown lacquer cabinets are of rectangular form and raised upon a foot. Two doors, at the front, enclose four drawers - all below a cover with hinges at the back, that open to release the doors and reveal a storage area on top. The hinges and elaborate lock and handles are made of paktong, and other further areas lacquered and painted in gold. Each of the main scenes is framed by a lacque burgaute and gold painted border. The doors depict a boy at play with a pair of dragons that face each other on the foot below them, and parts of a single dragon amongst clouds on the front of the lid above. The sides show flowering trees with butterflies. Two deer in a landscape beside a monkey in a pine tree are depicted on the top of one cabinet - and the other top is decorated with a pair of cranes by a peach tree and rocks. Dimensions: 15" x 11" x 14 ¾" / 38 cm x 28 cm x 37.5 cm The sheer variety of the inlays, the exceptional quality of the carving, and the highly 'Chinese taste' subject matter - all indicate that these cabinets were not intended for export but for one of the Qing society elite. Compare: 'L'art de l'ancienne Chine', by William Watson, Mazenod, Paris 1979 - fig. 621: a table screen, in the British Museum, London. Also: 'The Complete Collection of Treasure of The Palace Museum - Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings' Commercial Press, Hong Kong 2001 - figs. 228, 229, and 239. These boxes and brush pots are of similar feel and technique, being inlaid with figurative subjects in a variety of gem stones - ivory, mother of pearl and other materials.