Antique low lacquered elm wood furniture – China, around 1900

This antique low cabinet, lacquered in elm wood, is a Chinese kang piece with three drawers, two side doors, and an open central niche. It originates from northern China, from the Qing dynasty, where the elm was covered in an orange oil lacquer. Twenty centimetres deep: the measurement betrays it. It is a piece designed to sit on the kang itself, the heated platform, against the wall and within reach of a person sitting on the floor. Nothing deeper would fit without encroaching on the sleeping space. The case is made of solid elm, joined with mortise and tenon joints, with rounded upper corners. Three drawers align beneath the top, two panelled doors close the side modules, and the central niche retains its full-width shelf. The handles are iron rings on rosettes. The orange lacquer has reduced to patches on the wood, denser on the doors and almost disappeared from the top. Below, the elm shows a wide, dark grain. The edges are rounded from wear, and the surface has not been touched up. Its minimal depth is suitable for a narrow hallway, a foot of the bed, or a living room where a classic console would not fit. It complements wabi-sabi and japandi interiors, where wear is part of the narrative. Details. Dimensions: Length 155 cm – Depth 20 cm – Height 31 cm. Style: Chinese Qing Dynasty. Materials and techniques: Elm wood; wrought iron fittings; mortise and tenon joinery; orange oil lacquer. Place of origin: China. Period: Qing Dynasty. Date of manufacture: Circa 1900. Condition / Observations: Good. Original orange lacquer reduced to patches, visible elm grain. Wear consistent with age and use.