Tall antique pine wardrobe – Lanzhou, c.1900

Antique tall pine wardrobe, traditional Chinese furniture from the Hexi corridor originating from Lanzhou, dated around 1900. It comes from Lanzhou in Gansu province (northwest China) from the early 20th century, where local pine was crafted using mortise and tenon joinery without nails, featuring articulated fronts with hollow geometric panels. In the houses of the Hexi corridor, tall vertical storage wardrobes housed household linen, fabrics, bedding, and family trousseau items. The articulation of the front in geometric panels served both a constructive logic—compartmentalising the large surface area into manageable modules—and an aesthetic preference for serial rhythm and the ornamental sobriety of the northwest. Details. Dimensions: Length 100 cm – Depth 47 cm – Height 150 cm. Style: Provincial Chinese furniture from the Hexi corridor. Materials and techniques: Solid pine; mortise and tenon joinery without nails, front articulated in twelve framed panels with hollow octagonal profiles, four operational central doors, circular iron latch handles, horizontal slatted cornice. Place of origin: Lanzhou, Gansu (China) Era: Qing Dynasty – Early Republic of China. Date of manufacture: Circa 1900. Condition / Observations: Intact structure. Original patina. Visible marks, knots, and signs of use. Wear consistent with age and use.