China, Qing dynasty, late 18th/early 19th century (the cabin - Lot 181

China, Qing dynasty, late 18th/early 19th century (the cabinets) Pair of square wooden and bamboo veneered cabinets decorated with multicolored, lacquered and painted (colors and gold) soapstone inlays, opening with two leaves onto eight drawers, decorated on the outside of the leaves and on the top with cartouches depicting scenes from palaces and gardens, and on the other three sides with cartouches containing flowers, fruits, animals and insects, or cursive inscriptions, or dragons and Taoist objects, all surrounded by incised soapstone and painted with lotus scrolls, the inside of the leaves adorned with cursive inscriptions (poems), the drawers inlaid with flowers and scholar's objects, birds painted on the central one, framed by floral scrolls, the wooden base carved with archaizing chilong dragons, the gilded bronze fittings. Standing on high, custom-made Western-style (chinoiserie) bases in wood with painted or varnished polychrome decoration of flowers and inscriptions imitating Chinese in cartouches on a background of lotus scrolls, the four curved legs linked by a spacer decorated with flowers and birds in a lobed cartouche, an apron mantling on each side (some missing, or to be refixed). Overall dimensions: H. 119 cm - W. 54 cm - D. 54 cm LM Numerous detached soapstone inlays (especially on the top and front), but most of them preserved in the drawers: to be restored. One hinge to be refastened and one lock missing. Legs: chips and cracks, one spacer cracked. These cabinets were used to hold small collectibles and curios. This type of decoration, entirely executed in soapstone inlay, is very rare. Provenance : Scheidecker family at Château de Lutzelhouse (Bas-Rhin) since the second half of the 19th century, then by descent. [2]