Ancient Huanghuali Armoire Cabinets - a Pair

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A Pair of Huanghuali Tapered Cabinets Armoires from the Late Ming/Early Qing Dynasty.

Chinese Huanghuali furniture is extremely rare and … Read more A Pair of Huanghuali Tapered Cabinets Armoires from the Late Ming/Early Qing Dynasty.

Chinese Huanghuali furniture is extremely rare and highly coveted, and refers to all furniture made from the yellowish-red wood of the Huanghuali tree. ... Huanghuali furniture generally went un-lacquered and had very minimal surface designs in order to showcase the exquisitely translucent and shimmering wood grains. A member of the rosewood family, huanghuali stands for rarity, beauty and in today’s Chinese furniture market, high prices. It is believed that there are less than 10,000 pieces of huanghuali furniture left in the world. Because the wood is nearing extinction, and is now a protected species, supply is very limited. There is increasing demand for this furniture from Chinese antiques collectors, prices for huanghuali furniture have skyrocketed over the last several years!

Huanghuali is possibly the hottest category of furniture in the world today.

Historically, Hainan Island appears to be the main source of the wood, although it is believed that there are similar species in North Vietnam, Indochina, Guangxi and other islands of the South China Sea. Dating to the mid-Ming period, huanghuali furniture is believed to have been prized by the very wealthy, the upper classes and officials.

Chinese furniture is made from a variety of hard and soft woods, and is also found in bamboo and lacquer. The price differences between two similar-looking pieces from the same time period in different materials can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. ‘It doesn’t mean that they’re not great examples,’ says Christie’s New York’s Michelle Cheng of the less desirable woods. ‘It’s just that the furniture market is very material-driven.’

The most valuable and precious of all of these materials are zitan and huanghuali, two types of hardwood found, among other places, on China’s largest island, Hainan. Along with having beautiful lustrous qualities, the woods are difficult to harvest and mostly found outside China, making them even rarer. ‘If you’re a collector looking to have your collection grow in value,’ says Cheng, ‘focus on examples in huanghuali and zitan.’

Chinese furniture is generally made without any glue or nails — rather, the pieces are held together by a complicated network of joints. The sophisticated technical abilities of the cabinetmakers and carpenters who made them were incredibly advanced.

Excellent Condition considering it's age. Extremely durable furniture.

Can be sold together or separately. See less