Chinese cabinet
08 March 2021
Description

Cabinet is hand-painted as well as having hand-carved decorations on front of doors and drawer flowers on bottom are thought to be ivory but I am not 100% know the item was brought from China by a friend's grandmother

Provenance

It is never been exhibited it belongs to a friend who is looking to sell

Acquired from
Other
For sale
Yes
Answered within about 21 hours
By Leah I.
Mar 09, 10:27 UTC
Fair Market Value
$200 - $300 USD
Insurance Value $0 USD
What does this mean?

Thank you for contacting Mearto. This is a black lacquer cabinet of Chinese origin, probably late 19th century/early 20th century. The raised embellishments are likely made of stone. Ivory has a grain pattern that is not visible in your photographs. I’ve included a link below to identifying real ivory. The brass hinges and handles are common in this type of furniture, and are likely authentic given the age of this piece. The rich decorative elements are also emblematic of this type of piece.

Items like these are called wedding cabinets, part of a dowry, and meant to hold the bride’s clothing, etc. when she moved into her new home. It’s a beautiful piece, like many other antique wedding cabinets on the market. However, they are not highly valued at this time. Perhaps this will change in the future. The market for Chinese antiques and art has been growing over the last decades with the growth of the Chinese economy generally. Based on sales of similar cabinets, the Fair Market Value of this piece is between $200 and $300.

Ivory identification guide
https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Ivory-genuine-fake--confusing

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