Marigold Lacquered Cabinet

While most Chinese lacquered furniture is black or red in color, this 19th-century provincial cabinet from Shanxi province has a marigold-toned lacquer finish that calls attention to the naturally warm color of northern Elmwood. Chinese furniture-makers employed lacquer as a natural sealant, repelling water, acid and heat. A cabinet such as this one would have required 30 or more hand-applied coats. Opening to a black lacquer interior with two small drawers, the cabinet has two paneled doors accented with a single moon-shaped door plate. Simple in form yet earnest in construction, the cabinet pays respect to the qualities of natural wood not unlike the approach taken in American Shaker furniture.