A Pair of Golden Bookcases for the Emperor Wanli

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Wanli, who reigned 400 years ago, was one of the last emperors of the Ming dynasty. A pair of lacquered and gilded bookcases, for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 8, bears his mark.

Each piece of furniture is quite small: 151 cm high, 91 cm wide, 50 cm deep, open, with three levels of storage. The luxury of carving and the intense rich gilding make the auction house declare that it was a personal furniture of the emperor ... and that no comparable piece has ever been offered at auction. The pair is estimated 15 MHK $.

The deep and crisp sculpture shows dragons surrounded by clouds. It is laying on all sides, and on the edges of shelves. The wood is one of the most precious, known as nanmu.

At the same time in Europe (1581-1620), luxury furniture is also characterized by a thick sculpture. Although the Wanli reign saw the visit to China of Jesuit travelers, it is not clear if these two regions of the world influenced one another with regard to the style of furniture.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

I thought frankly that this pair of Imperial furniture should greatly exceed its estimate. It did not even reach it, but it was still sold : 11.8 MHK$ including premium.