Gansu, circa 1900

The contrasting red panels and black lacquer frame are typical colours for storage cabinets like this one, produced from pine in the northern Chinese provinces of Gansu and Inner Mongolia and made for holding grain. The cabinets would be solidly constructed, usually from pine and with thick, chunky frames and would be accessed through removable half boards in the top. As in this case, the cabinets are almost always modified when restored, with the top boards being sealed and doors being added in the front from the original fixed panels. This makes them ideal as unique sideboards for storage in a modern home.

Here the finish and paintings are old, with the the once bright red of the doors now more muted. Each door has a central rectangle picked out in cream and decorated with various personal possessions – flower vases, books and furniture – all designed to indicate the scholarly status of the owner. The carved lower apron, set between thick rounded frames, provides a further decorative element. With a single shelf inside, the sideboard would be ideal in a reception room or dining room as a one-off statement piece.