Red Painted Gansu Sideboard rugs The plates on these ones

The plates on these ones are etched with the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac

large console table looks contemporary but is influenced by many of the simpler Chinese altar tables that were used as the stage for offerings to ancestors

each with a simple ring handle

dressed in their official robes displaying the square badges of their rank

large cabinets or armoires like this were presented as part of a bride's wedding dowry

Red Painted Gansu Sideboard rugs The plates on these onesGansu, circa 1920 This lovely sideboard in a rich, red lacquer still features the original finish and paintings, once in vibrant gold leaf but now largely worn down to the darker base beneath. The paintings show various robed figures standing or seated at tables going about their daily routine. The cabinet is from Gansu province in western China, with an extended top surface over carved spandrels that taper down to the feet. Originally only the centre